Born the Other Way Around the fic
by Nicosia-Oceania-Cyprus
Summary: Can a guy convert a stubborn tomboy into a dainty, sweet lady? Sounds crazy, but that's what one guy's gonna do.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue:

I was meant to be a boy. I really was.

I hated make-up. Who would want some sticky gooey things practically pasted on your face which totally screams that it would not allow anything applied on it?

My mother practically had to manhandle me into putting on my stupid lacy dress.

I detested dressing up. I don't want to be dolled up. I'm not anybody's plaything. I never did feel comfortable in skirts (which is totally ironic since our uniforms had skirts) or in tight shirts.

Eew.

I wanted to feel free and breezy.

And besides, my period hasn't arrived yet.

And I'm fifteen.

Hah. See?

That's a sign I was meant to be a boy.

While other girls grew up playing dolls, I grew up playing with gross things like lizards, beetles and even spiders.

I collected comic books and action figures.

I didn't want to be Cinderella or Princess Aurora.

Heck. I wanted to be Superman who could smash things in his way.

Who the heck would want to go strolling in a forest wearing a stupidly heavy gown that's simply choking you?

I wouldn't.

Over my dead body.

Never in a million years.

Nuh-uh.

Zero chance.

I wore shorts that were loose and my hair was a mess always. I'd have it cut off if my parent's hadn't stopped me. So I had to keep my long hair.

Which is a total hassle since my hair's like a jungle now.

I am a boy.

I am a boy.

I am a boy.

No way would I be a complete girl.

That's just gross!


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 1 (MY CRISIS)

Okay.

So English.

I got 70/70.

Good. Good.

Check.

Chemistry.

85/90.

Excellent.

Geometry.

60/60.

Perfect..

History.

99/100.

Darn it! If only I hadn't forgotten the last one who composed the First Triumvirate.  
Tsk, tsk.

Oh well.

Past is past.

I was in my bed now, reviewing all of my test papers. So far, I've been getting really positive results.

The only thing left was my Trigonometry test paper.

I felt a surge of sickness settle in my stomach.

Shoot.

I totally had a mental block-out on that test. I knew I did one…

Okay. Maybe not one but quite a few problems wrong.

Trigonometry's like Math. They're practically the same. And I was good at Math. Not that I'm boasting or anything.

But for some odd reason, I couldn't get high scores in Trigonometry. My scores in Geometry, on the other hand, were near perfection.

But why oh why couldn't I perfect my Trigonometry tests?

I groaned as I lay on my bed.

Curse Trigonometry.

I'll be getting the papers tomorrow.

Gosh I felt sick.

My mom was getting a bit worried too. She's been suggesting time and time again that I get a tutor.

I said no of course. It was actually mostly because of pride.

Duh. I was a hardworking student. I didn't need a tutor. I could manage on my own. Just look at my scores.

Well…

Maybe not at my Trigonometry scores. But all my other subjects were very good and impressive.

And the worst thing of all, I was running for valedictorian. I knew I had good potential.

But I had this one problem.

His name was Danny Jones.

And he was good at every subject.

And he had flying colors in Trigonometry.

Uughh…

I had to beat him. I just had to. No way was I letting him steal that seat!

Suddenly, I was all fired up as I read my book in Chemistry.

Beat Danny.

Beat Danny.

That was the only chant in my head as I studied electrodes, cathodes and anodes.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 2 (RESULTS)

My hands were practically shaking as I tried to put on a façade of calmness.

Don't worry.

You'll be fine.

It's only Trig…

Our teacher, Miss Pilly, was already distributing the Trigonometry papers to each student. A few gave off sighs of relief while some faces grew pale upon receiving the paper.

I haven't received mine yet.

"Danny Jones," Miss Pilly announced and Danny went to the front, sidling.

Boy does he look calm.

Danny got his paper, looked at it, and smiled widely.

"Danny, how much did you get?" his friend Dougie asked as Danny passed by.

"99," he grinned.

My hands tightened on the pencil that I was holding, nearly snapping it.

99?

99 over 100?

Bloody…

"Kyleen Marloes."

I gave out a sigh and stood up, my chair slightly squeaking.

This is it.

With trembling legs, I went to the front and grabbed my piece of paper. I slowly opened it.

The color drained from my face as I saw my score.  
80…

80…

Oh gosh I feel sick.

I slowly went back to my desk, crumpling my piece of paper.

I have got to get my act together…

I was in my room now. My bag was downstairs. My nose was practically glued to my Trigonometry notes.

Dang it. I got one formula wrong. No wonder it had a domino effect.

I sighed.

Gosh I hate Trigonometry.

And Danny Jones.

Uuugghh…

Suddenly, the door creaked open. I looked up. I fixed my hair a bit. Mom would probably scold me again for having messy hair.

The door opened.

I was right. It was Mom.

She smiled a bit, and then frowned. "Kyleen Neeves Marloes, I told you to stop wearing boy clothes."

I pouted at her a bit. Sure I was wearing a very loose Star Wars T-shirt and my dad's old boxers, but how can't I? I don't want to be in those silly sleeveless hoo-has and short shorts.

As I have said before, I should be a boy.

And I should be named Kyle.

"I… saw this," my mom said and suddenly pulled out a crumpled piece of paper which she smoothed out for me to see.

I gasped.

Oh crud.

It was my Trig paper.

"I know, it's awful," I admitted glumly.

She smiled and sat down beside me. "Not so bad. I got 25 out of 100 once."

I chuckled.

Mom always made me feel better.

"Kyleen, sweetie, I just think it's time you get help," she said gently.

I sighed. I think I knew the answer though.

"What?" I asked.

I knew it. If that popped out of a multi-million dollar game show, I would've answered it and won the million dollars.

Right now, I'm carrying my notes and books in Trig, dragging my feet unwillingly.

Jeez. Do I honestly need a tutor?

I looked at my test paper in Trig once more.

Okay. Maybe I do need tiny help.

But I certainly will not be ignorant.

I've studied a bit.

So there.

Hah.

Maybe my tutor wouldn't need to teach me anymore. I'm not a child.

Finally, I entered the review center after asking directions from the lady at the reception. She said that I'd be in room 22. So I went there.

With my (loose) Beatles shirt and cargo pants paired with black Converse shoes, I entered the door.

A bit boyish, but my mom didn't totally reprimand me. At least I could be distinguishable and I couldn't be totally mistaken for a boy.

I entered the room. It had lime green walls and a table with two chairs at each side. There was a whit board and a few books on the shelf.

I gently placed my books on the table and sat down on the chair.

I looked at the clock as its hands moved.

Okay. I'll wait then.

I sat down, my fingers crossed.

What would my tutor look like?

Would he be this old man who had tousled gray hair, an over-sized moustache and a soporific voice?

Or would it be a young nerd whose pencil would drop from time to time?

Well, he's not going to be anything like my celebrity crush (mind you, he's the ONLY guy I like) Kyle Bismarck.

He's just so handsome.

But sad to say I'm not going to put on a dress. Even for him.

No man is worth restoring womanhood in me.

Finally, the door clicked open. I sat up straight and slightly fixed my hair which was protruding in various angles.

A boy with short brown hair and blue eyes entered. He was wearing a Ramones shirt (ooh. Maybe I'll get those too) and pants.

He was … young.

Like my age.

And…

He had a… er… pretty nice face.

"Hello," I greeted him nervously.

He smiled at me and sat down. "Hello there. I'm Harry."


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 3 (TUTOR)

So he was young, had a quite nice face, and seemed really friendly.

He looked perfect and I was sure that any other girl would have felt sparks of attraction towards him.

But not me.

I just thought that he was cool.

Duh. I'm not into girly and romantic mushy stuff.

Gosh that just makes me sick to my stomach.

I managed to stay calm. I didn't even feel intimidated or perturbed.

I was my usual calm and perfectly sensible self.

I'm not like some squeamish girl fan.

"So, Trigonometry eh?" Harry smiled at me as he pointed to my books.

I nodded. "Yup."

"Okay. Well, let's start."

I showed him my notes and he flicked through them. It was neat anyway and easy to understand.

"You understand this part right?" he asked me, pointing to a drawing on my notebook.

I looked at it.

Oh. Graphing coterminal angles.

Yup. That was easy.

I nodded. "Yup."

He smiled. "Good, now graph this one."

I looked at the figure that he scribbled down.

Negative five hundred-eighty.

"Sure," I replied.

Okay. Now to show him my stuff.

I took my notebook and began adding two three-hundred sixties to the figure. Then I began graphing the figure which had two revolutions.

Okay… Swiiirrll…

That's it.

I was done now.

I checked my work. I certainly did it right.

Okay. Time to show it to my tutor.

I smiled at him. "Here."

He took it and began observing my work. I was confident though that it was correct. It was flawless and totally backed up with reason. It was—

"Your graph's wrong," he frowned.

My eyes widened.

Whaat? Wrong? How?

He pointed to my piece of paper. "It should be counter clockwise since it's positive."

I looked at my work again.

Shoot. I made it clockwise. I totally forgot.

I think I have this sort of Trigonometry curse.

"Don't worry. I'll give you more exercises," he smiled at me.

I nodded.

So much for surpassing the master.

He gave me a few more exercises. I got a few wrong but I understood it more after he pointed it out to me.

He was a really cool teacher. He simplified things for me. Before, the lessons seemed like Greek or Morse code.

But now, they were pretty easy and I even enjoyed.

Finally, we were done and I shut my notebook and closed my books.

Good. I learned a lot today.

"Well then, let's go," he said as he stood up.

All of a sudden, he knocked the table and the bottle of ink spilled all over my hand.

He gasped. "Oh crud! I'm sorry!"

My hand was dripping with ink now. "Oh… It's okay. I'm fine."

He grabbed some tissue and began wiping my hand as he apologized over and over again. I insisted for a million times that I was fine.

As his hands were gently placed on mine, I couldn't help but think of how soft they were.

He was pretty gentle too, though he didn't look like it.

Finally, the ink came off and my hand was back to its normal state before the bottle squirted ink at me.

"Thanks," I smiled.

Wait. That was a bit too friendly.

"I mean, thanks sir," I hastily added, thinking it might be impolite if I didn't address him that way.

He chuckled. "Nah. We're probably the same age. Call me Harry."

I hugged my books. "You sure, sir?"

He grinned. "Harry."

Oh fine. Harry it is then.

"Okay Harry," I replied.

He began looking at my outfit. "Just out of curiosity, do you always wear boyish clothes?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. I feel comfy in them."

Odd question.

He shook his head and smiled. "Okay. Well then, see you."

I smiled at him and went outside, feeling very enlightened. I learned a lot and I'm happy.

Maybe I will go back to this tutoring center.

Especially if Harry's my tutor.

"Pretty, isn't she?" a guy smiled at Harry as he watched Kyleen hop inside a car.

Harry smiled. "Yeah. She's pretty cute. Shame she's a tomboy."


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 4 (SCHOOL DAY)

I was at a tea party. I looked around, completely confused as to how I got here.

I touched my lips and I saw a shade of pink lipstick on my fingertips.

I gasped in horror.

I have bloody make-up on!

I looked at my outfit now and felt disgust as I saw what I was wearing.

Ugh!

It was a lacy dress with so many frills and a skirt which was a few inches below the knee.

Who the heck forced me to wear this complete and utter abomination???

All of a sudden, I heard people whispering around me like snakes. But as I swivelled around to see who they were, I saw no one.

Weird!

Finally, the hisses got loud enough for me to understand what they were saying.

"You're gonna be a girl someday."

"Someone's going to turn you into a girl."

"You'll be wearing heels soon!"

I covered my ears, trying to block what they were saying.

No way was I going to be a girly girl! I should've been a boy. Over my dead, corrupted and maggot-ridden body! In fact, I wouldn't be caught…

Suddenly, as I felt my hair, I let out a cry of horror.

My hair was CURLED!!!

This time, I screamed, completely horrified at what was happening.

I woke up, my hands firmly clasping my pillows. I was panting now. I looked at myself.

Okay. No stupid make-up, stupid dress or…

I touched my hair.

My hair's back to normal now. Thank God.

I rubbed my face.

Thank God it was only a stupid dream. It felt so real though. Even my curls seemed real.

I shuddered. Ugh…

Baggy shorts.

Loose shirt.

And still the same straight jet-black hair that was always messy.

Okay. I'm back to normal. Time to get changed.

"Aw… She's wearing that Affliction shirt again," my friend, Trisha, messed my hair up.

I chuckled and slapped her. "Shut up. This is how I am. So there."

My friend, Marie, only rolled her eyes and grinned at me. "Well, you can't change that sis. That's how Kyleen is."

I pouted. "I'm not Kyleen. I'm Kyle."

Trisha poked me. "You're still Kyleen to us."

I rolled my eyes, giving up. I smiled. "Oh fine."

I was going to school now with my best friends Trisha and Marie Bryce. It's funny how I even had them as best friends.  
Marie and Trisha were the most popular cheerleaders. They were even more popular than the head cheerleader.

They were prettier anyway. They had hazel brown hair and nice green eyes. They were certainly very girly and they loved to dress up. Oh. And they were sisters too.

I don't exactly know how we became friends. All I knew was that we were tight since we were in kindergarten. Ever since then, we stuck together.

"By the way, we have a new student today. He's Danny's friend," Trisha announced.

A friend of Danny?

Pfft. Like I care.

Stupid Danny.

We entered the corridor, looking for our classroom. I couldn't care less for Danny's friend.

If he was Danny's friend, then he's certainly my enemy.

I sat down on my desk. My bag was crammed with books which in turn were crammed with test papers. If there was space, I'd shove it there. I never was the orderly type. You could say I was… Perfunctory. I never pay attention to details. But hey, I can still find my stuff in my chaotic mess.

I mean, chaotic order. Oh. You get me.

Our teacher, Miss Pilly, went to the front. Her bangles clinked as she walked.

"As you, or some, might know, we have a new student here. Come in," she said in her high-pitched voice.

I decided to take out my book in Geometry instead and read through the pages. I'm not interested anyway.

A blond-haired boy entered. He had brown eyes and a dimple on one cheek.

He looked pretty decent. Maybe we wouldn't get into a brawl.  
He introduced himself. His name was Tom and I could see a few girls getting interested as he started talking. He seemed pretty nervous though. I couldn't blame him. I'd probably be on pins and needles too if I were in his shoes.

Finally, he took his seat. He sat down beside Danny, who was wearing yet another stupid grin on his face. I'd like to wipe that clean off his face!

I flicked through my Geometry notebook. Okay. Calm down.

All of a sudden, the door knocked once more.

Were we having a visitor?

Miss Pilly opened the door. "Yes?"

"Oh. Hello. I've been transferred here since there was a slot left," a voice said.

Hm… Familiar… But I don't care.

I continued perusing through my book.

"Oh. Class, we have another new student. Go right in dear," Miss Pilly said.

I was still focused on my Geometry book.

All of a sudden, the whole class looked up. The girls suddenly ignored their own work and they looked at the new student. All attention was magnified on him.

I was the only one who was still focused. Even Danny was looking up.

Jeez. What was up with these people?

Suddenly, curiosity began building inside me as they all continued to stare. I even saw our pretty classmate Rose giggle.

Finally, it was too much for me. I simply had to see what the commotion was all about.

Slowly, I lifted my head, pretending I had 'accidentally' looked up and tried to come out as uninterested.

But I couldn't help but feel a jolt of shock suddenly surge through my body like electricity.

I couldn't believe it.

It was my tutor!!!!

Harold!!

I mean…

Harry!

What the heck??? We were the same age??? I'm being taught by someone my age??

Sure he looked young but I estimated that he'd be in college now. It never crossed my mind that we'd be the same age.

And I certainly didn't expect him to be standing right in front of me, saying that we'd be classmates.

"Hi Harry," Danny grinned at him. Harry waved back.

I gaped at him.

Why was he fraternizing with the enemy??

I felt so outraged.

In my anger, I suddenly brushed my book and it fell to the floor with a loud thud.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 5 (P.E.)

"Kyleen, are you okay?" Miss Pilly asked me curiously as I began gingerly picking up my book.

Crud that was embarrassing.

"Yes miss," I replied in a calm tone to redeem myself.

I sat up straight, my book back to its position.

Danny eyed me suspiciously but I tried to pretend as if nothing happened.

"I'm… er… Harry. And I'm a friend of Danny, Tom and Dougie. I'm from Seattle. I hope I'll have a great time here," Harry smiled.

I rolled my eyes and returned to reading my book.

I can't believe it. My tutor was just my age. And he was a FRIEND of Danny… Make that FRIEND.

Jeez. I knew having a tutor was bad. Very bad. I am so not going back there now.

Who needed Harry anyway? Certainly not me.

Harry sat down next to Danny. The two made a handshake and started chatting. Harry looked at me and smiled.

I smiled back sarcastically and began scribbling on my Geometry book. Harry looked confused but he went back to talking to Danny.

Traitor…

"You've always been so bitter. Don't you think it's time you lightened up?" Trisha asked me as she munched on her pizza.

"Mm-hmm," I replied as I drank my orange juice. "No way. Danny's been mean to me since fourth grade. Who pushed me into the pool? Who placed a lizard inside my table? He'd made fun of me. Dougie's the same. And I'm sure that Tom and Harry are no different."

It's totally true. Danny's been making a laughing stock of me. Worst of all, he was our grade school valedictorian. I was salutatorian.

A mere shadow of what he was.

I was sick of that.

We were at the cafeteria now. The different aromas of the food was all meshed up in the atmosphere here. I can't say it's a good amalgam though. One second it smells like carrot, and the next second it's blueberry pie. I saw Danny enter along with his 'cronies'. They sat down on another table. I saw Danny laugh.

I rolled my eyes and began making a goofy imitation of him, exaggerating the way he laughs. Trisha and Marie giggled.

"You're mean," Marie chuckled.

I grinned. "Well, can't help it. By the way, what's the next period?"

Trisha began racking her brains. "Ah. P.E.."

I frowned. "Oh no…"

I hated P.E.. Well, it's not like I suck at it or anything. In fact, I excelled in it. The subject was easy-peasy for me.

It's just that…

"Oh I hate these!!" I groaned as I tied my hair.

I looked at myself in the mirror, a scowl on my face. I was wearing a white shirt with the school logo on it and I was wearing a pair of red shorts.

Shorts.

Darn it.

How am I supposed to feel comfortable in these modern torture devices disguised as innocent school uniform?

I swear, I'd rather wear jogging pants made out of potato sacks. I didn't feel comfortable in shorts.

"At least it's better than your awful shirt. Peace," Trisha said as she began fixing her hair.

I shook my head. "No."

We went to the gym after fixing up. The girls took nearly an eternity fixing themselves up. Don't they know that once sweat breaks from their pores all of these efforts to make themselves look good would be rendered useless?

My classmate, Riley, was busy tugging on her shorts. She was trying to pull them down.

"Jeez. I've got really huge thighs," she complained to her friend Jenna.

Well, that's not so bad. It's actually better for fat to go to the thighs rather than the stomach. If fat goes to the stomach, the woman has a higher risk of cancer.

Okaaaay. I've been reading too much health magazines.

We were playing badminton now and we were paired with random people. I got paired with Harry, which totally bums me out.

As I approached Harry, he was giving me a funny look.

I wrinkled my nose. What was wrong with him?

I was tossing the shuttle cock in my hands.

'Wow. She actually looks cute in decent clothes,' Harry thought.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked him, finally stopping my constant toss of the shuttle cock.

He finally came to. "Oh. Sorry."

He has got to stop that.

"So… will you still come back for tutoring?" he asked me as we began playing.

I hurled the shuttle cock back at him.

Well… He wasn't so bad. Maybe I'll give him another shot.

"Yeah… I guess so," I shrugged and inched to the right to send the shuttle cock back to him.

He grinned. "Cool. I'll be seeing you soon."

I smiled.

I liked him. He's cool. I wondered if he was the overly-worried type. He looked like one.

All of a sudden, I wasn't focusing and the shuttle cock accidentally hit my nose.

I dropped my racket and covered my nose. Harry was looking at me with wide eyes.

I smiled to myself. I had an idea.

"OW!!" I cried and knelt to the floor, feigning pain.

I guess I could get the answer to my question sooner. After all, when scientists wanted answers, they made experiments.

Harry ran to me, a worried expression on his face. "Kyleen! I'm sorry! Really! Are you okay?"

"Oh… It hurrrttss…." I moaned, or half-moaned at least. Gosh I was a good thespian.

He placed his hand on my shoulder.

Okay. That was it.

"Hey. No touchy pal," I said and gently plucked away his hand.

Now, back to my award-winning performance.

"Oooow!!" I continued to moan.

"I'm sorry. Can I do anything?" Harry asked.

"Treat me… wait. You swear you'll do anything?"

"Yes! Yes! I'm sorry."

"Okay. Give me ice cream."

I finally uncovered my nose and stuck out my tongue at him. "Gotcha."

He rolled his eyes and laughed. "Haha. Very funny."

I began dancing a bit. "I goooot yuoouu… So. When do I get my ice cream?"

"How about later?"


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 6 (ICE CREAM)

"Yummy!" I grinned as I licked my strawberry-flavored ice cream.

Gosh this was heaven.

I was always an ice cream freak. I was absolutely ecstatic that I was being treated.

"Good," Harry grinned as he licked on his coffee-flavored ice cream.

We were outside an ice cream truck and Harry stayed true to his words. He bought me ice cream and it totally made my day.

Thank God I was out of those outrageous shorts. Every second spent with those was like a millennia of torture for me.

I was back to wearing loos pants, a loose shirt, and a cap.

Back to good old comfortable outfit.

We were sitting on a bench now. The sun was still shining and it was a bit cloudy today. The clouds looked like gigantic cotton balls and one was in a shape of what looked like a rabbit. Not too hot today and it wasn't humid.

Harry looked at my shirt. "Superman."

I grinned at him. "Yeah. I love Superman. Shame he broke up with Lori Lenoris. And… I hate Lana Lane."

Honestly, Lori was cool to me. Plus she was a mermaid. And that made her uber cool. I hate Lana. She nearly killed Superman when she took over Lex Corporation. Lois Lane? I loved her.

Harry chuckled. "I never knew you were into boy stuff."

I shrugged. "I think I should've been a boy you know. I don't love lacy clothes, make-up or even Barbie. But I did love comics."

He raised an eyebrow. "A boy?"

I nodded. "Yeah. It's so much cooler."

"Well, not really."

"Yes it is."

"No it's not."

"Yes it is."

"No it's not."

I laughed and poked him. "Shut up. Yes it is. End of discussion."

He rolled his eyes, seeing as he can't keep up this debate with me. "Fine."

I clapped my hands. "Yeey! Loser!"

He shot me an indignant look but decided to laugh instead. "Whatever."

"Whatever too," I snapped back.

Wow. I was having a nice time with him. See? I should've been a boy. I get along so easily with them.

Well, except for Danny.

Finally, it was time for me to go. I hopped off the bench, landing nimbly on the pavement. I shook his hand and grinned at him.

"Well, bye mate!" I said and began walking towards home.

He waved at me. "Bye."

"It's outrageous. She has all the features of a pretty girl, and she's a freaking tomboy," Harry told Danny over the phone. He had been on the phone for quite some time. He'd pop Skittles into his mouth every few minutes.

Danny chuckled. "She's always been that way. Trust me. She's a weirdo."

Harry made a face. "Danny, she's not. She's actually fun you know."

"Oh fine. Maybe a bit weird. But Harry, that's just who she is. Don't sweat it. Ah. I gotta go. Bye."

Harry sat down on the sofa, his legs crossed. And his Skittles was running out too.

He couldn't help but feel confused. For him, it was a shame that Kyleen would go on to be a tomboy. What if she had a girlfriend? Nah… That wasn't likely. She wouldn't go that far.

She was very pretty, even prettier than those who had make-up on already. And she was fun, even in her own weird way. He liked the way she was, even if some would beg to differ.

He felt concerned. But it's not like he had a crush on her. No. He just thought that she should be more lady-like.

But how on earth could he do that?


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 7 (SOMETHING NEW)

Gosh I felt awful.

I grabbed the box of tissue from my bedside table, pulled out quite a few, and began blowing my nose. My head was spinning and rotating now. I think it's already done about a thousand revolutions. Plus my nose feels as though turnips have been horribly crammed up there.

My dad opened the door. "Sweetie, take these."

He gave me a glass of water and a few tablets. I thanked him, popped the tablets into my mouth and drank my glass of water.

I went back to blowing my nose. There was a mountainful of crumpled tissue papers in the trash can beside me.

I was sick today. I don't know now, but some disease has managed to wreak havoc in my system. I had a fever now, so I was definitely going to be absent today.

Which totally sucks.

I actually planned to pretend that I was well but my mom noticed how raspy my voice was. So I was forced to stay in bed.

I hated being confined here. It's like I'm some dangerous animal.

And I was absent…

Think of all the lessons I'll miss!

Jeez. I'd so much rather be at school than be held captive here.

Wait…

What day was it today?

I grabbed the calendar from my bedside table. I ran my finger on it until I reached today's date.

I gasped.

Darn it. It's Thursday!

We were supposed to choose our clubs today. I wanted to be at the Foreign Language Club. But I'm stuck here… So I can't choose.

But then, Miss Pilly would know which club I would want. And I have been hinting her that I love foreign languages.

Yeah… Why should I be worried?

I'll end up in the Foreign Language Club. I'm one hundred percent positive about that.

I smiled and set the calendar back on the bedside table. My breathing started to go back to normal.

Why was I so worried?

Harry looked around, searching for Kyleen. Her desk had been vacant for quite a while now and she wasn't the type to be late for class. This was very odd. Even the rest of the class found this quite unlike her.

He had been waiting for her all morning. He would watch the clock's hands move as he glanced at the door. He had been expecting her to pop out any minute, but it seemed that today he would do without her presence.

And to be honest, he missed her.

They were starting to choose their clubs too. Everyone had made up their minds, except for Harry. He sat in his seat, holding his pencil with his two fingers. He was trying to decide which of the two clubs he chose he should join. He loved both, so it was a heck of a decision for him to make.

All of a sudden, an idea came fluttering to his mind. Kyleen had no club yet. No doubt she would've joined the Foreign Language Club.

He was about to sign up for one club when he decided to entertain his idea.

If he couldn't change Kyleen at once, maybe he could do it gradually.

Yes. This was a good idea.

Maybe she'd kill him for doing it, but she'll be thankful for it later on.

Harry went to the front, scribbled down his and Kyleen's club on a piece of paper, and handed it to Miss Pilly.

Miss Pilly smiled but then a perplexed expression shot through her face. "Harry… Did Kyleen really choose this?"

Harry smiled innocently. "Yup. She said so herself."

"Oh… Okay. It's just that… This is odd."

"Well, she's trying new stuff."

She nodded, although she seemed skeptical. "Oh. I see. Good for her I guess."

Harry went back to his seat grinning.

Danny leaned closer to him. "What club did you make her join?"

Harry whispered the answer to his ear. Danny laughed, his desk was rattling.

"Oh! She's gonna kill you!" Danny chuckled.

Sleepy. Sleepy. Sleepy.

I was still sick in bed and I felt drowsy now. It's like I had a hangover or something.

Suddenly, my phone rang. I grabbed it but then realized that I grabbed my book by mistake. I reached for my phone once more.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hi Kyleen! I didn't know you signed up for the Dance Club!" Trisha's merry voice erupted from the phone.

I had a confused expression on my face. I rubbed my face. Maybe my mind's all jumbled up.

Dance Club?

I can't even dance to save my own life!

What was she talking about?

"Dance Club? No… There must be a mistake," I replied, sitting up now.

"Well… someone signed you up. It's been the talk of the school. Some are amazed, really. And there are no more slots in other clubs. You're stuck in that club," Trisha said.

No more slots???????

Dance Club?????

I felt like a boulder just dropped on my head, crushing my skull into pieces so forcefully that everything didn't make sense anymore.

Who the heck signed me up for that infernal Dance Club??????


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 8 (BALLET)

I will strangle the one who signed me up for the Dance Club. I couldn't wait to wring that person's neck!

I do not dance!

Do I look like a dancer? Certainly not!

I finally arrived at the classroom, fuming. Trisha and Marie told me that they had no idea who signed me up for that club.

No worries. I'll ask Miss Pilly who did the crime. She was bound to know.

Then I will seriously suffocate that person.

I was sitting at my desk now. Trisha and Marie had to go to their own classrooms now since we weren't classmates. I held my pencil, twirling it in my fingers. A frown was on my face.

Finally, Miss Pilly arrived. I could tell since I could hear her bangles which sounded like bells whenever she walked.

I sighed and took a deep breath. I made a beeline for her. I needed to find out who signed me up.

"Miss Pilly, who signed me up for the…?" I asked her, trying to keep a polite smile. Deep inside, I was boiling like a kettle.

I gulped.

"Dance Club?" I continued.

"Oh. Good morning Kyleen. Good that you're well now. I'm sorry dear but we have no more slots for other clubs. It was such a peculiar choice for you. I never thought you'd ever choose it but it must be a refreshing change," she smiled as she rearranged her books on the table.

I spotted one entitled 'How to Boost Your Self-Esteem When the World Is Hating on You.' Jeez that was plain weird. But now, back to more pressing matters.

"I'm… aware of that. I just wanted to know who signed me up," I replied, trying my best to pry my eyes away from the book.

"Oh. You must have forgotten with that terrible headache and all. It was Harry. Nice chap, really," she replied.

My jaw dropped.

Harry? Harry did this?

I could feel my body shake.

I knew it… He signed me up to make fun of me… Everyone knows I can't dance… He and Danny planned all of this. It was a conspiracy after all. I can't believe it. I can't believe I trusted him. I thought he was cool for Pete's sake!

"Um… Thanks Miss Pilly," I said and turned around.

As I turned around, I came face to face with Harry.

I nearly jumped. Speaking of the devil.

"Hey," Harry grinned at me.

I frowned at him and went to my desk. He chased after me, his hand was on my shoulder.

"Hey! What did I do?" he asked.

I was really angry now. Was he really playing dumb?

"Wow. Thanks for making fun of me. I'll be sure to look like a fool at the Dance Club. Thanks a lot Harry," I said, feeling hurt.

And I did feel hurt. I really thought that he was different. But he's actually bent on humiliating me.

And to think I thought he was cool.

"But… But…" Harry began to say but he floundered in the end.

I sighed and waved my hand dismissively. "Forget it Harry. I don't want to talk."

He wanted to say something but he decided not to. He looked so confused that it seemed very convincing. But it wasn't convincing enough for me. The look on my face said that I definitely didn't want to talk to him.

We went back to our seats. I avoided his gaze from time to time and I was upset the whole morning. I never looked at him, and he couldn't get near me.

I was sitting on the floor now. I still couldn't believe I was here. I was like an alien here. But if I were one, I definitely didn't want to stay here. I wanted out.

I was at the Dance Club now, which was a studio on the second floor. Long mirrors lined the walls and bars were everywhere. A large stereo had been set up on one corner. While the rest were chatting with each other, I was busy figuring out a Trigonometry exercise in my head.

Was that sine? Or cosine?

Gosh I'm confused.

Maybe I should ask…

Nah. I'm never going to go back running to him.

He was here too. I would've chatted with him too if he hadn't stabbed me in the back. No doubt he signed up here to see me fall down and look like the little ugly duckling in the fairytale.

I am one hundred percent sure that I would hate this session.

I never did like dancing.

Harry looked at me, an apologetic expression on his face. For a while, I nearly softened. But when I remembered what he did, I stopped myself. I wasn't about to show mercy now.

Instead, I looked away and pretended that something caught my attention.

The door opened and a woman in a bright (almost blinding) yellow dress entered. She had orange hair and a few freckles dotted her face. She was middle-aged, I supposed. She had a cheerful expression on her face.

I looked at her a bit more carefully. Why did she look so familiar? And why were my memories rewinding way back to my childhood?

She looked around the room, and then she saw my face. A wider smile was on her face.

"Kyleen! I never thought I'd see you here!" she said in an all too familiar voice that rang in my ears.

Everyone looked at me, curious as to what relation I had with this woman.

I suddenly remembered who she was… and it wasn't good at all…

Oh my gosh!

She was my ballet teacher when I was eight!

Great.

Now I hate this session even before it's started.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 9 (DANCE)

Mrs. Jasmine was a really sweet lady. But she was just so obsessed about me! It gets kind of freaky at times. She'd always pinch me and say gibberish to me.

It's okay if I was still a kid, but I probably couldn't bear the humiliation if she started treating me like a kid.

"You know her, Mrs. Jasmine?" a boy with orange hair asked.

She nodded. "She was my favourite ballerina before. And she was the best in my class!"

Everyone gasped. They were all shocked. Jeez. I was hoping that I'd avoid this.

I turned red.

No one ever knew that I was a ballerina. It was probably the only feminine thing that I did when I was young. I used to love dancing so much. But I've buried that memory a long time ago. Only Trisha and Marie knew.

And now Mrs. Jasmine's dug it up, and in front of a whole class too.

Great. Simply great.

A few were even laughing at me. I only rolled my eyes. Whatever. At least I'm not a flunk-out in ever subject. Stupid blonds. I predict that their group has an eight percent chance of getting into a good college.

Okay. Maybe that was harsh.

Make that eight point five.

"Here! I have a picture of her! Gorgeous little angel," Mrs. Jasmine said and pulled out a photograph of from her oversized bag.

I froze and my skin pricked.

Oh no!!!! Not that picture!!!

But I was too late, and she pulled out the picture. I felt like I would die of embarrassment.

She flashed an old picture of me in a tutu and a tiara. My hair was curled and I was beaming as the photograph was taken.

Oh dear… I think my nerve cells have just died.

I bowed my head, my cheeks feeling hot.

For a while, I expected everyone to laugh. After all, the picture was so unlike me.

Instead, a few nodded. Some were looking from me to the picture, comparing how different I am now. A few guys seemed transfixed by the picture, especially Harry.

"Well, now that that's over with, find a partner," Mrs. Jasmine said as she placed the picture back in her bag.

I was shocked. I didn't expect them to remain silent. I was waiting for the loud chorus of jeers. Even the mean blonds didn't say anything.

Wow. I am so lucky.

The whole place was a bit chaotic now as everyone searched for their partner. I leaned against a wall, waiting for the crowd to disperse.

I guess I'll be paired up with the pairless.

To my surprise, Harry approached me. He was inching slowly towards me. "I'll be your partner."

I moved away. I wasn't in the mood. "Sorry Harry… I really don't want to talk."

He suddenly smiled. "Oh yes you will."

He pulled out something from his pocket and I gasped as I saw it.

Oh my gosh!! He got my Superman keychain!

"Now will you dance with me?" he asked as the keychain dangled from his finger.

Oooh… I couldn't do anything! That was my precious keychain! I've had that for eight years now!

Uuurggh…. He's a sly one.

"Fine," I resigned, holding up my arms.

Mrs. Jasmine made us do the waltz. I felt a bit uncomfortable as Harry placed his hand on my waist. But he was nice and he asked me if I was okay with it.

"You looked pretty in the photo you know," Harry smiled.

"Really?" I asked.

I thought that I just looked plain odd. I never thought that I looked pretty. My cheeks flushed a bit. I wasn't used to receiving compliments from boys.

Was that why everyone was silent?

I suddenly began to feel my old love for dancing.

Okay. So I lied.

I used to love dancing. But I gave up on it.

Now I don't know why I abandoned it. I feel like a fool.

After the session was done, I felt pretty much good. In fact, I've even forgiven Harry. I felt like I was eight again, and it's a wonderful feeling. And it's hard to believe, but I missed slipping on that tutu and those ballet shoes. It felt wonderful to free my caged body and just let it bend to the music.

We were about to go home now. I picked up my bag, slung it over my shoulder and walked outside. I passed by Harry. He was still fixing his bag. I poked him and laughed. He looked up.

"Thanks for signing me up," I grinned and walked away.

'She's cute', Harry thought as Kyleen was outside.

He tied his shoes and got his bag. He realized he still held the Superman keychain hostage.

Oh well. He'll have other uses for it.

After seeing her ballet picture, he was more determined now than ever to start changing her back into a girl. It was a shame. She was very pretty.

He kind of felt annoyed though why he cared so much about her. Was it love? Nah. He's just concerned.

Or at least, that's what he thought.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 10 (SWITCH)

I was at the laundry now, waiting to claim my clothes. My fingers drummed the desk while my other hand was propped under my chin. I could hear the mechanical sounds of the machines and a few kids protesting. Well, this wasn't exactly the best hang-out for kids. Even I wouldn't go here. It's just so dreadfully boring.

I let out a yawn.

Oh gosh. I shouldn't have stayed up all night. But that was for a good, educational purpose. Excellent documentaries about Egypt don't come very often.

The lady at the counter was taking an awful time getting my laundry… Nothing. I just noticed.

"Here's your laundry," she said, hauling my pants in a blue plastic and placing it on the counter.

Thank God! She took an eternity for a two-minute task!

I grabbed the laundry and headed out when I bumped into Harry. He blinked as he saw me. He was holding his laundry in his hands as well.

"Oh. Hi Harry!" I said, feeling a bit surprised.

Who would have thought we'd bump into each other at the laundry?

"Hey. What're you doing here?" he grinned at me.

I chuckled and hit him with my laundry. "Getting my laundry of course!"

Jeez.

"But… Those aren't your size…" he said as he peered into my plastic bag.

"Well… I never liked tight pants. So I got these from the men's section," I replied.

"Let me see the size."

He looked at the tags of one of my pants. His eyes widened.

"Jeez! These are only two sizes smaller than mine!" Harry exclaimed.

I shrugged. "Well, it's comfy. I use a belt. Thank God I got these. These are the only pants that I have. I usually wear walking shorts, you know?"

"Oh. Those are your only pants?"

"Yup."

"I see…"

I eyed him. Something was going on in his head.

"Why don't you get new pants? Pants that actually fit you?" Harry asked.

I made a face. "Eeew! No way Jose!"

"Well, didn't your mom buy you any set of pants that fit you?"

"I chucked those out."

"What?!"

"Yup. Then I got my cousin Ralph's pants."

"Jeez Kyleen. You're a weird one."

I chuckled. "Well… That's it. Plus I insisted my mom that the only time she'll buy me new clothes is when I run out of my old ones. Which'll never happen because these are still good." I waved the plastic bag at him.

He nodded. "Oh… I see."

I smiled.

All of a sudden, I felt the urge to run to the comfort room. I wanted to pee so badly. Darn it. I knew I shouldn't have drunk all of those Minute Maid bottles this morning.

I placed my laundry on the floor. "Harry, I need to go pee. I'll… leave this here. And… I really need to go."

I practically ran at record time as I searched for the comfort room. If I couldn't let it out, I'd probably pee on the spot.

When nature calls, I needed to act fast.

Harry was laughing as he saw me zoom away. I looked so funny to him. He even thought that I was more entertaining than his Ipod.

I don't know if I could ever take that as an insult or as a compliment.

Harry looked at the plastic bag beside him. The whirring of machines was practically bouncing off the walls now.

He had never met anyone like Kyleen before. What kind of girl wears oversized pants?

Make that pretty girl too.

He began to set himself deep in thoughts. Certainly these are no clothes for a girl, for any girl.

She should be wearing skirts. And her hair should be cut shorter. Maybe a bit of make-up would do her good as well. Some spray would do nice as well.

Harry stopped in his thoughts and slapped his head, feeling silly.

'Jeez. I'm like her mother,' he thought.

But still, new and proper clothes would do her a great deal of good.

These are her only pairs of pants… So…

He counted the number of pants in her laundry.

Six.

That's the exact number of pants that he had in his own set of laundry.

He looked at his own set of pants. They were practically the same as Kyleen's. No doubt that they had bought it from the same section.

He suddenly had an idea. He was lucky today. It might be risky, but he hoped that he'd get the results that he wanted.

Slowly, very slowly, he switched their laundry. The plastic bags were the same, so it would not have made any difference.

There.

If this doesn't compel her to buy new clothes, he didn't know what would.

Maybe his simple dream of seeing her in a skirt would actually come true. It's not like he was perverted or anything, he just thought that she would look positively lovely in one.

No one seemed to notice what he did. The lady at the counter was too bored to be totally aware of the place. Jeez. The place bores even the employees who work here.

Good. Things might actually work out for him.

I went out of the comfort room, feeling oh so relieved.

Never will I drink that much Minute Maid ever again. I might slowly kill my kidneys and I could never see my future children grow up.

In fact, it's taken me about twenty minutes in that comfort room. The tissue was jammed and I had to practically bang on the dispenser to get it. That consumed most of my time.

Or at least I think that's the main factor.

As I entered the place, I saw Harry humming a tune to himself.

"Harry!" I grinned as I approached him.

He turned around and smiled. "Oh. Hey. You took your time."

"Tissue was jammed. I had to destroy the dispenser."

He chuckled. "Really?"

"Yes! Really!"

"Oh… Cool I guess?"

He gave off a nervous laugh. I raised an eyebrow. He was acting weird.

He beamed. "Well, I've got to get going now. See you." He picked up his set of laundry, waved at me, and walked away.

I smiled. "Bye Harry. See you tomorrow at the tutoring center."


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 11 (STEP 2)

I pulled my pants which were constantly slipping down. I slid the belt on and fastened it.

Please pull up.

I straightened my pose, waiting for my pants to hold up. For a few seconds, it did. All of a sudden, it slowly slid down once more and I pulled them up.

Oh gosh. These certainly weren't wearable at all. My underwear would be exposed if I went around marauding these.

For some reason, all of my pants that I got yesterday have enlarged. Sure I already had baggy pants before, but at least a belt could hold them. But now, the belt was rendered useless. It was just too loose.

And this was already the last pair that I had.

Were they really the ones that I got from the laundry yesterday? I got the six back. They looked the same… I knew I had the right one. I just knew I did.

But they've magically grown.

Maybe a dwarf snuck in last night… or a fairy decided to stir about some mischief and I was unfortunate enough to be the victim…

Uugh! I'm making conclusions based on fantasy.

I guess the machines did this. Jeez. It's caused so much trouble.

I don't have any other pants left…

All that was left were my skirts… so that means…

I gulped. I cringed at the thought.

Oh no. Not those skirts. Never. Nuh-uh. No way.

Mom knocked on the door, nearly making me jump. "Honey, everything okay?"

"Moom… My pants are too loose…" I moaned, sitting on my bed.

The door clicked open and mom entered my room. She was wearing an apron and I saw a few stains on it. Maybe strawberry jam. She sat down beside me and held a pair of pants before her. They were nearly as big as my curtains, I realized.

"This is big. You should really get new clothes," she frowned but I could tell that she was happy inside. She's been dying to get me new clothes. I know. Last week, she gave me different magazines that showcased the latest trends. Maybe she hoped that I'd get interested. Then I'd come up to her and say 'Mom! Let's buy me a new dress!'

Unfortunately, I turned all of those magazines into my papier-mache model for the solar system.

Except for one part. I cut out the picture of Kyle Bismarck.

I sighed. I guess I had to admit defeat. I did need a new set of clothes.

"Okay mom. I'll go shopping later," I resigned, feeling that I've been doomed.

"Oh! Good! Here!" she said and extracted a huge wad of bills from her pocket.

"Mom!" I started to protest when she stood up.

"Dear, buy a lot. You need a totally new wardrobe," she smiled and went back to the kitchen.

Dear old mom.

I sighed as I pulled out my skirt. Oooh. This was simply horrendous.

Still, I had no choice.

Who would've thought that I'd be wearing a skirt? And for the public to see!

My Converse shoes practically lolloped against the pavement as I walked in my skirt.

I felt so awkward. I didn't know how I should walk. Maybe if I figure this whole thing out, I'll write a book that says 'How to Walk in Skirts for Dummies.'

If a book like that existed now, I'd definitely want a copy.

I finally reached the review center. The woman at the reception seemed a bit shocked to see me clad in a skirt and a not too loose shirt instead of my usual oversized shirt and men's pants. I proceeded to the room where Harry was waiting for me.

I finally reached the room. I pulled down my skirt a bit. Gosh why did it have to be a few inches above the knee?

I reached for the doorknob, twisted it, and entered the place. Harry was sitting on the chair, flicking through the pages of an ancient Trigonometry book. He was wearing a pair of glasses.

He looked up and has a surprised expression on his face. His glasses went a bit lopsided. "Oh. Hi… Kyleen."

He had never seen me in a skirt, nor did he expect to feel this surprised. In fact, he was nearly blown away.

'Wow' he thought.

I walked towards the chair and sat down. I carefully swept my skirt under my butt and sat down. I placed my legs together. I had to have proper posture now that I was wearing a skirt.

But to tell you the truth, it feels a tad bit nice to be in a skirt. Surprisingly, it was more comfortable than pants. At least it wasn't as short as our shorts at school. I never did try before, so I never knew.

But only a tad bit nice.

Only a small bit.

Probably the size of a colloidal particle.

It was just bearable.

Harry began lecturing me on Trigonometry. It was easy since he knew which lessons we should study. At least he was better than Danny at Trigonometry. That was a very comforting thought.

It was weird, but Harry kept on throwing glances at me while I wrote my answers on my piece of paper. And whenever I'd look up, he'd be pretending that he was looking at the window.

Odd.

But I let him be. Maybe it was a mannerism of his. And besides, I did look quite unusual today.

I didn't know though that my look was getting to him. He seemed really surprised.

In Chemistry, there were two ways on how a particle could be absorbed. One was absorption, and the other was adsorption.

Adsorption is when it would only be absorbed by the surface. Absorption, on the other hand, went on to penetrating the surface.

Harry felt the same way with me; the absorption pat. Slowly, I was getting to his thoughts. At first he'd only think I was cute.

Now however, I've broken through the barrier.

He was developing a crush on me.

And I didn't know.

In fact, if I only dressed like any normal girl, he would've courted me already. Instead though, he just thought of me like a guy friend. Except I had a pretty face and was stuck inside a girl's body.

Now though, he thought differently.

I was actually his type.

He wasn't about to let me know though.

At least not yet.

Duh. I'd obviously freak out. My slow conversion to being a girl was freaky enough for me. It's a whole new world for me, and I was still scared to venture out.

Hopefully, I'd be able to embrace all of this soon.

Finally, we were already finished. I felt relieved. I learned pretty much a lot today. I'm glad Harry was here to help me out.

"So, you going anywhere?' he asked me.

I carefully placed my things in my bag. Wow. I was slowly getting tidier now.

"I dunno. I'm gonna buy new clothes I guess. My pants have magically swelled up," I smiled at him.

"Oh," he nodded. But inside he was smiling. His plan had worked.

'Aw… She's about to go now…' Harry thought, feeling miserable. He still wanted to spend time with me; especially now that I looked absolutely adorable in my skirt.

Suddenly, an idea struck him.

My hand was already on the doorknob when he suddenly tugged on my sleeve. I turned and looked at him. I chuckled, thinking he was like a kid.

"What's wrong Harry?" I beamed at him, my hands slowly withdrawing from the doorknob and falling to my sides.

He grinned at me. "Can I tag along?"


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 12 (STUNNED)

We were at the mall now. Crowds passed by and the sound of footsteps filled my ears. A few shops actually had some pretty good items on sale. Finally, something nice that was actually affordable.

I saw a poster of the louche actress Leona Brey. Sure she was pretty, but I wouldn't want to be like her. A person who goes out for late night drinking isn't my type of role model.

We finally reached the department store. Harry surveyed the area, his blue eyes twinkling and his smile widening.

I had to admit, he was pretty cute. And he was nice too.

Oh jeez! I'm thinking like a girl!

Stop! Stop!

I am a boy.

I will not give in to girly thoughts!

Jeez. I have got to stop this. I don't know why I'm slowly turning into a girly girl.

I'll go back to reading my Superman and Batman comics again later.

We finally reached the clothes section. I immediately went to the men's section.

Seriously, the men's section had uber cool shirt designs. Maybe I'll buy one with the Ramones on it. Then I'll buy some more baggy pants. The one with holes in it.

I felt excitement grip me.

Oh why did I ever think skirts were better?

I already began reaching for a pair of faded jeans when Harry placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, shouldn't you be at the girls' section?" he asked.

I pouted. "The clothes here are so much cooler. And I have the money. So there."

Hah. That showed him.

"Oh? But I have this," he said and showed me my Superman keychain.

Oh crud!!

My eyes widened and I shot him daggers.

I forgot to take that back!

I made a grab for it but Harry pulled it away.

"Buy girl clothes," he said.

"Oh fine," I resigned.

I guess I had no choice.

Rats. I should've been more careful of my stuff.

Okay. To the Pit of Doom disguised as the women's section.

I've tried on a couple of stuff now:

Two skirts (one was pink)

some jeans that fitted me perfectly (not as comfortable as loose jeans but I guess they were okay)

a shirt with a v-neck

a dress with puffed sleeves (kind of cute really… EEW! Stop thinking like a girl!)

I'd go out of changing room and ask Harry how I looked like. He picked the clothes out for me. They all seemed pretty nice. I had no clue as to how I'd pick the perfect outfit. So I assigned the gruelling task to Harry.

He had good taste. I was going to but the whole lot that he picked out for me.

Finally, I tried on the last outfit. It was a nice white dress with some stones on it. It was very elegant.

And I picked it.

It was the only one that I picked out. It just stood out to me. So I thought that I should give it a shot.

Well, time to test my fashion sense.

I was at the changing room for the sixth time now. I carefully slipped on the immaculate dress. It fit like a glove.

I looked at myself in the mirror. Apart from the messy hair, I actually looked pretty good. I twirled around for a few times before being satisfied.

Okay. Time to show Harry.

I opened the curtains and beamed at Harry. "How do I look?"

He looked up. At first, he was silent and seemed lost for words.

Uh-oh.

Did I look bad?

"Um… do I look awful?" I asked.

Maybe I should've stuck with my boyish look. Maybe I actually looked ugly in girly clothes.

He finally came to and shook his head. "No. You look really great."

I gave out a huge sigh of relief. "I don't look like the Hulk?"

He chuckled. "Nah. You look pretty. But fix your hair."

I began fixing my hair that was sticking out but it was awfully stubborn.

"Here, let me fix that," Harry said as he approached me.

All of a sudden, he tripped on a box and came crashing towards me.

"Harry!" I cried out.

Finally, his arms landed on my shoulder. He finally regained his balance. His face was inches from mine.

He opened his eyes.

He looked into me for quite a long lapse of time. His eyes seemed different for some reason. Duh they were still the same color but they didn't feel the same. His cheeks flushed a bit.

I didn't know that his heart was throbbing, now that we were this close.

Finally, I broke into a smile. "You're so clumsy Harry."

He finally went out of his spaced out state. "Oh. Sorry about that."

He suddenly tucked a hair behind my ear. "Jeez. Fix your hair."

I laughed. "Oops."

After debating about my hair for approximately five minutes, I paid for the clothes and went home. I waved goodbye to Harry and thanked him for coming with me. He was really patient and I took an awful lot of time putting the clothes on.

As I left, I didn't know that Harry's feelings were confirmed now.

He was in love with me.

Mom was pretty pleased at my choices. So was my dad. They were happy to finally see me in clothes that were usually a huge no-no to me.

They weren't bad, really.

I reached my room and placed my shopping bags beside me bed. I felt like kind of pooped out now. Maybe a nice book would give me some relief.

I was about to reach for 'Princess Diaries' when my eyes fell upon my Superman comics. I hand recoiled.

Oooh. I did miss Superman.

I gave in to my boyish ways and began reading the Superman comics.

Nah. Being a boy was still better.


	14. Chapter 14

*Writer's note: Okay. So this might seem like a confusing chapter but it's from the point of view of another person. Or rather, a stranger. And this stranger has seen Kyleen. I just added this as an introduction to the stranger. If you have any questions, you can ask me. It's alright if you want to clarify something or correct my flaws. I'm very open. This will make sense later in the fic. Thanks. 

CHAPTER 13 (SPECTATOR)

Click!

The lights flicked open as a boy with dark brown hair and brown eyes entered his room. The place was full of cluttered papers and he resolved to pick them up. He placed the pile of papers into a trash bin, adding to the mountain of trash already in it. He didn't need those anymore. They were merely his doodles.

'It'll take time for the photographs to dry up,' he thought as he came face to face with his computer. The screen was emanating a light glow.

He opened his mail.

He had about fifty new messages.

All from girls.

He began deleting each mail. He didn't even bother reading them. It would contain the usual 'blah-blah-blah' which he so often received from girls.

When would they ever leave him alone?

His other accounts on FaceBook and MySpace were the same. Comments from girls. He decided to leave it.

Finally, when he cleared out all of the junk from his accounts, he decided to check the photographs he had left to dry in his studio.

He entered the studio, red light covering the place. He began observing one of the photographs clipped on a wire. It was funny, this hobby of his. From time to time, he'd snap pictures of random people. It's as if his hands were moving of their own accord whenever he clasped a camera.

One picture caught his eye. He looked at it carefully.

Where was this taken? Oh yes. At the mall. He nearly forgot.

He looked carefully at the girl who was in the picture.

She had dark brown hair, a bit messy, but she still looked decent. She was wearing a cute skirt and a nice blouse.

'Hey, she's cute,' the guy thought as he observed the picture. She definitely had some features going.

"Lance!" a voice called from above.

He immediately clipped back the picture upon hearing his name. 'Then again, she might be like all those girls.'


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 14 (HARRY'S HOUSE)

"You're improving," Harry smiled at me as I showed him my work.

I grinned, satisfied with my progress as well. "I know. It's all thanks to you."

I was at Harry's house. The review center had to be shut for a while so I went to his house to study. This was better than having my boring old teacher (no offense to Miss Pilly but she does have a knack for stultifying her students).

Suddenly, Harry wrinkled his nose. "Jeez. You're wearing your old baggy pants again."

"It's all thanks to cousin Ernie," I grinned.

My cousin Ernie just visited last week. I was very lucky. I was just moseying around the house when I saw him take out a few pair of pants. A problematic expression crossed his face, so I asked him what was up. He explained that his pants didn't fit him anymore and he had no idea how to get rid of them.

I immediately lunged after his pants and begged him to give them to me. They were really a cool pair of dark jeans and holes. He said that I could have them then, if they fit me.

And guess what? They did.

So I was back to my usual get-up again. The skirts were starting to kill me anyway. The girly outfits inside my closet were copious anyway. My mom thought that I had been converted into a full-fledged woman. So she began buying me a LOT of new clothes, some were even for coquettish women.

Hm… Maybe I'll donate those kind of clothes to the health center.

Yes. Yes.

Giving is loving.

Harry shook his head, almost disapprovingly. "Suit yourself."

I went back to solving my Trigonometry mumbo jumbo. It wasn't that bad at all. In fact, I'm starting to like the subject.

Eew… Did I actually just think that?

Slowly, not only my clothes are changing, but the way I think is slowly altering as well.

I wondered what changed me.

After a while, I got a bit bored with my Trig work. Plus, I was getting hungry and I felt like there were savage wolves in the pits of my stomach.

"Harry, I'm hungry. You got any food?" I asked him, setting aside my Trig work for a while.

"Oh. I've got some fruits in the fridge. Orange, banana, apple," he said.

I stood up. "Apples then."

I loved apples. I'd definitely eat those any day.

I strolled my way towards the kitchen and opened the fridge. It was filled with a lot of stuff. Fruits, yogurt, Cheetos, marmalade, low fat milk, low calorie butter…

I took a shiny red apple from the fridge, the chill from the fridge seeped through my fingers. I took out a knife from the table and began peeling the fruit slowly.

Careful… Careful now…

"Harry! Dude!" I suddenly heard Danny's voice.

I got so surprised that I lost control of the knife. The blade managed to make a small cut on my thumb. Blood was oozing out of it. I yelped a bit.

Jeez. Danny keeps on shocking me. I didn't expect him to come.

What'll I do? It's not like we were exactly on good terms.

My thumb felt a jolt of pain shoot through it.

Okay. I need a band-aid now.

"Harry?" I called.

"Ooh! Harry! You got yourself a girlfriend?" Danny teased.

"N-No!! Jeez Danny!! It's only Kyleen!! She's here for tutoring!" Harry snapped back.

Hm… He sounds so embarrassed. Seriously, he didn't need to. I mean, I'm only here for tutoring after all. He didn't need to stammer.

I looked at my thumb again.

Bloody…

"Harry?" I called once more.

Finally, he appeared. He seemed a bit pink in the cheeks.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

I winced and showed him my thumb. "This."

He suddenly had a panicked expression on his face.

"Jeez… What the heck did you do?" he asked as he saw me injury.

"Well! It's not my fault that Danny surprised me," I cried. "Ouch!"

Gosh the bleeding's getting pretty worse now.

"Here," Harry said patiently and began dabbing his handkerchief on my injury.

The bleeding managed to stop now. Finally, it didn't feel so painful anymore.

"You hate Danny a lot, don't you?" Harry asked.

"Um… To be honest, not really. I only hate him because he's better than me at Trig," I replied.

"Why don't you make friends with him?"

"I dunno… Maybe he hates me too. He's always teasing me.".

He chuckled. "Don't be silly. Danny doesn't hate you. He just likes teasing you because you get angry at once."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yup. Seriously, he's nice. He's confused about why you hate him so much. But he says he you're fine and he just wishes that you two could've been friends."

I paused. I never thought about it that way. He really didn't hate me? I always thought that he kept voodoo dolls of me and stuck pins on them.

But judging by Harry's tone, he seemed honest.

I exhaled. Maybe it was time I opened up to Danny.

"Okay. I'll give it a shot," I said and went outside.

Danny was at the couch, reading a magazine. I recognized it as the comic series 'Night Stalker'.

"Ooh! You read that too?" I gushed as I approached him. I just loved the series!

He chuckled. "Yup! My fave's Lady Velay!"

"Oh? I loved her when she stabbed the Horned-beast with the… with the… What was that again?"

"Sword of… Sword of… Oh jeez…"

We paused for a while before finally speaking up at the same time. "Sword of Fealty!"

We chuckled at the same time as well. Wow. Danny was actually a great guy to hang around with. I wished I'd given him a chance earlier. I'm glad Harry's managed to convince me.

We chatted for a bit more. I never had a really good time like this. Danny was actually a fellow comic geek.

In the end, I had to do a favour for him. He liked my friend Dominique, so I'll be digging up some information for him.

"You should really get a band-aid for that," Danny said, pointing to my injury.

"I think there are some in my room. Just go get those on the top of my desk," Harry said.

I nodded and proceeded to Harry's room that was just on the second floor.

My feet swiftly went up the flight of stairs as I went to Harry's room.

I finally found it and twisted the doorknob.

Harry's room was painted a cerulean blue. His room was surprisingly clean and orderly.

My eyes fell upon a small stuffed toy on Harry's desk. It was so tiny; it could fit into my pocket. It was a small teddy bear. I grabbed it and began playing with it, making it dance.

Okaaay. To the band-aids now.

I stuffed the toy in my pocket. A small lump appeared on my jeans.

I finally found the band-aid and grabbed it. I peeled it and wrapped it around my finger.

I smiled. That was better.

As I got downstairs, we all chatted for a bit more. Pretty soon, I had to leave. I thanked Harry and Danny.

I was on my bed now, feeling a bit pooped out. It was Trig information overload. Oh well, at least I performed better now.

I placed my hand in my pocket. I suddenly felt something soft.

Wait… I placed something here?

Puzzled, I pulled out whatever was inside was in my pocket. I gasped.

Oh no!! I brought Harry's stuffed toy!

I stared at it in disbelief.

Oh jeez. But I'm no kleptomaniac! I didn't steal it… No… I did not steal it… I merely took it. It just looked so cute…

I sighed.

In any case, I'll give it back to him.

Later.


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 15 (BREAK-IN)

Okay. It's about…

I checked my watch as it glowed.

Nine o' clock now.

Was that still a reasonable time to go knocking on someone's door? Well, in any case, I have to give it back pronto. Before Harry realizes that it's gone missing.

The wind was a bit chilly. Thank God I wore a jacket. I easily catch colds and a lot of other diseases.

I'm not scared of needles anymore. I always get vaccine shots most of the time. I've grown used to the pain. At first, it seems unbearable and I used to wriggle out of my chair. But as time goes on, the pain isn't that… Well… painful anymore.

Anyway, I have to take good care of myself. Lest I catch an unwanted disease.

I slowly crept towards the front door. Thank goodness Harry's house wasn't that far from ours. It was only about a ten-minute stroll.

The neighbourhood had an eerie atmosphere about it when night starts to enshroud the place. Nevertheless, I should give this back.

I pulled out the stuffed toy form my pocket. It dangled limply form my fingers.

Jeez. For a small thing, it's caused me quite the hassle.

I was about to rap on the door when a thought struck me.

Wait…

What if Harry gets angry?

Easy. Explain.

What if he doesn't buy my explanation? What if he accuses me of being a kleptomaniac?

What if he calls for the cops? Then I'd be brought down to the station where I'll encounter interrogations for the whole night? Then I'd go through another interrogation with heavy-lidded eyes and an exhausted body?

Then I'd be found guilty… And my parents wouldn't bail me out and even say that I deserved it?

How will I get into Oxford? Brown? Princeton? Cambridge? Yale? Harvard?

Heck. Would any university even accept me who already had a besmirched name?

I felt sick.

Good thing I stopped myself.

Okay. I think the best way to go about this is to sneak in quietly.

Yes. That way, I'd be able to place 'Reaper' back, and Harry would think he misplaced it.

Perfect! It's a win-win situation.

Okay. So I named the toy 'Reaper'. It's a cute name. It's totally fitting for the bear.

I looked around, trying to find a way to sneak in. Suddenly, I saw that there was a terrace above.

Hm… Maybe I could place Reaper there. Then Harry might say he accidentally placed it there.

Perfect. Now how do I get up there?

I looked around once again. The wind blew and dead leaves began to roll. Finally, I saw my ticket to fixing all of this.

A really tall ladder.

I began to approach the ladder and carefully carried it until it leaned against the terrace. It was high enough for me to get inside the terrace.

I stuffed Reaper back into my pocket and began climbing the ladder carefully. I wouldn't want to fall down, get my spine broken, and get caught by Harry and be turned over to local authorities.

I finally reached the top and I carefully got inside. I landed lightly on the terrace.

Oooh. This feels like a spy movie. Or a Nancy Drew scene.

I looked around, wary of any possible person who might stumble across me. I was silent for about thirty seconds.

Finally, when the coast was clear, I placed the bear by the sliding glass door.

"Bye Reaper," I whispered and waved goodbye to Reaper.

As I turned around, I suddenly heard the flapping of wings. I turned around and to my horror see that a bird has been pecking Reaper.

"Shoo! Stupid bird!" I hissed and waved my arms about.

The bird continued pecking Reaper. I narrowed my eyes at it.

Oh fine. You want it that way, eh?

I ran towards the bird and shrieked a bit.

The bird flew away and it hit the glass door. It squawked loudly and flew away.

I laughed so hard. That was so funny! I just couldn't resist!!

All of a sudden, I heard the glass door slide open. I froze, my eruptions of laughter finally stopping.

I turned around and saw Harry rubbing his eyes. He was in a pair of pajamas. He looked at me in disbelief.

"Kyleen?" he yawned.

I was completely rooted to the spot and I stared at him stupidly.

Stupid bird!!

Now I had only two words in my mind:

Oh crud.


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER 16 (GOODNIGHT)

Oh crud. Oh crud. Oh crud. Oh crud. Oh crud. Oh crud. Oh crud.

OH CRUD!!!!!!

Why on Earth did that stupid bird have to fly by??? I swear I will shoot that bird and stuff it into a pie!!

Jeez! Okay. Calm down.

Breathe in… Breathe out… Don't panic. Think of this as a Geometry problem. Find a way out.

Okay. Solution number one: explain things calmly.

"Um… H-Harry… Haha. I know I look weird but I can explain. Really. I'm not a psycho or anything," I began to say.

Gosh my voice sounds pathetic. There was no conviction and it was all shaky. Heck, it wouldn't even convince a two-year-old.

To my surprise, Harry only yawned and smiled. "Really Kyleen. Don't be scared, tell me. I'm just wondering how you got here. I'm not gonna gobble you up or anything."

I gave out a sigh. Point taken. Harry was nice. He'd understand.

"Well, why don't we sit down? This might take a while," I began to say and sat down on the floor, my legs crossed.

He sat down too and propped a hand under his chin. Despite looking a bit sleepy, he seemed eager to listen.

"Okay. Fire away," he urged.

I sighed. "Here goes."

"Really? You've christened it… 'Reaper'?" he said slowly, chuckling.

I pouted at him. "What? It's a cute name?"

He laughed. "Whatever. Jeez. You didn't have to go through all the trouble. If you just knocked, I would've come down."

I turned a bit pink. True. True.

Jeez. I was so paranoid. But still, it was that stupid bird's fault.

"So… where'd you get Reaper?" I asked him, holding Reaper by the hands and making it dance.

"Oh. I made it myself," he replied.

I looked at him dubiously. No way. "Really?"

"Well, the clothes were made by my sister Amy. But I kept the bear. It was my first handi-craft."

"Well, it's an ugly one," I joked.

He made a face and punched me on the shoulder.

"Ow!" I snapped back and laughed.

I punched him and he punched me back.

"Hey! That actually hurt!" I protested although I was laughing a bit.

All of a sudden, I sneezed. "Achoo!"

I sniffed. Oh dear. I think I'm feeling a bit cold.

Harry looked at me, concerned. "Hey. You're getting really cold. Maybe I should fix you a nice cup of hot chocolate."

I sniffed. "Nah. I'm fine."

Okay. I have the mind of a boy. So I should be tough. No matter how tempting a cup of hot chocolate sounded like…

With the rich, sweet smell… The soft and yummy marshmallows…

Ugh! Snap out of it!

I can't show weakness! Okay. Be tough. Be tough. Be tough.

Harry smiled a bit one brow raised. "You do know it's rude to reject an offer."

I blinked and finally gave in. "Oh fine. Bring me the hot chocolate."

He smiled, satisfied with my answer. He went downstairs. I waited on the terrace, sniffing.

Okay. Maybe I do need a nice cup of chocolate.

Suddenly, I heard a song playing from a radio inside the house. I smiled as I heard it.

"Got to believe in magic," I smiled and began humming the tune of the music. Very soon, I was actually singing the words.

Oh gosh. I just loved this song!

"Boo!" someone said into my ear and I jumped.

I swivelled around and saw that it was Harry. He was carrying two mugs of hot chocolate. One was pink and the other was blue.

I reached for the blue mug but Harry pulled it away.

"Hey!" I protested.

"Get the pink one," he said.

"Oh fine."

I got the pink mug and sipped on it. Mm… That was really yummy.

"But you know Harry, blue's not only limited to guys," I smiled at him, trying to make a point.

He paused and then smiled. "Point taken. You're right. Sorry about that."

"Don't be."

"I heard you singing. You actually know that song?"

I chuckled. "Who doesn't? My parents used to play that all the time."

"Wow…"

I smiled. "Why are you kind of surprised?"

He grinned back. "Nothing. I just never took you as a girl who likes old songs."

I shrugged. "Well, I love those songs. I know a lot are listening to what's modern, hip or cool. But just because everyone's into that, it doesn't mean I have to."

I chuckled and sipped on my mug.

For a minute, Harry stared at me. I didn't know that I just gave him another reason to love me.

I felt so calm here. It felt nice to look at the night sky.

"I like it here Harry. Thanks for the chocolate," I giggled.

He grinned, turning bit red. "Oh. I'm glad you do."

I looked at my watch. 9:30.

"Harry, thanks a lot. I've gotta go now. I had a good time. Goodnight," I smiled at him.

He grinned. "Sure."

Suddenly, his head moved closer to mine. I froze. He kissed me gently on the cheek.

"Goodnight too," he smiled at me.

My cheeks suddenly flushed. I certainly didn't expect that.

But why am I blushing?

I managed to compose myself. "Well, bye Harry."

I made my way down the ladder and hurriedly went back home.

I got inside my room and lay in my bed. My heart was throbbing now and I couldn't understand it. I pulled my window closer to me, hugging it tightly.

Why was I feeling this way?


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER 17 (PINATA)

"Kyleen, I'm going to play with them for a while okay?" my little sister Amanda tugged on my shirt.

I smiled. "Sure Amanda. Go on."

She giggled as she went to play with her friends, her pigtails bouncing.

I was sitting on a chair, still in my loose shirt and pants. In fact, I even had a cap on my head. A few people seriously thought that I was a boy.

Oh well. After all, I always did want to be a boy.

But last night… What was up with that? Why did I react that way? I've never felt that before. I didn't know why I had trouble sleeping last night when I usually went straight to sleep whenever my body was in contact with my bed.

I didn't know how I felt. I was so confused and I seriously don't know what I should do.

Anyway, I should just forget about it. That way, things won't be so awkward between Harry and me.

I was at a party now. Children's party to be specific. I'm supposed to be Amanda's chaperone. So I was stuck here. I didn't mind though. I had nothing better to do anyway. I found this more constructive.

So far, the kids were enjoying. I seemed to be the only teenager here. All the rest were little kids.

All of a sudden, I heard a female voice come from the speakers.

A plump woman had grabbed the microphone and was beaming at the children. I knew her. She was Sarah Gelly. I used to play in her house when I was small.

"Children! Come along! Now it's time for the game. It's the piñata game!" she announced.

The children squealed and rushed to the place where a piñata in the shape of a cow was hanging. It was colourful and it made any kid want to burst it open.

But hang on…

I squinted, in case I saw it wrong.

Doesn't that seem a little too high up? I began estimating the height of it.

These kids are about three feet tall. And the piñata is over five feet from the ground. Even with a bat, it seemed too far.

How on earth was a kid supposed to crack that open? And who the heck set that up?

A stick was given to a small boy with red hair. I believe his name was Todd and he was the celebrant. He looked eager to break the piñata and send the candies pummelling to the ground.

He began swinging the stick, but it always came short. It was obvious that none of them could reach the piñata.

Todd began to groan, and it was followed by a louder groan from the children surrounding him. Poor things. And they were so excited too.

"Oh dear… We'll need someone taller. Let's see.." Sarah began to say as she surveyed the area.

"Ahh! Kyleen!"

I looked up. I had a feeling she was going to say my name.

"Kyleen, would you be a dear and help the kiddies break the piñata?" she smiled at me.

All the kids were looking at me expectantly, as if they were going to cause a huge pandemonium if I were to say no. Some were even doing the puppy dog eyes.

Well, what else was I supposed to say?

If I said no, they'd probably make me the piñata instead.

I stood up and nodded. "Sure, sure."

The kids all broke into an applause.

"Whew. If she said no I'd beat her to a pulp," I heard one kid say.

Okaaay. Then I'm glad I spared myself of that fate.

Wow. It's like I'm some Greek hero and I've just brought them the head of a Gorgon monster.

Todd excitedly handed the stick to me. Sarah wrapped a blindfold around my eyes.

Jeez. I felt like I was eight again.

Finally, I was ready to smash the piñata. The kids were already cheering for me, chanting my name.

Okay. Now to the piñata.

I held on to my stick tightly.

Suddenly, a problem occurred to me.

Um… Where exactly was the piñata again?

Left?

Right?

For sure it's above.

Hm… I'll have to make a wild guess.

"Forward!" I heard Amanda cheer.

Ah! Forward it is then!

I advanced forward and swung my stick.

I heard the crowd gasp and Amanda saying 'I was kidding sis!'

"Hey!" a voice protested.

My cap suddenly fell to the ground, my hair falling loose.

Shoot! My cap! Where is it? I began to crawl on the ground and feel it with my hands but I still couldn't find it.

Ugh! Stupid blindfold!

I decided to take my blindfold off. It'd save me a whole lot of hassle.

I finally saw it on the ground. I picked it up. I looked up, trying to see who I nearly hit.

It was a boy with brown hair and equally brown eyes. He looked at me, a little transfixed.

"Oh. Sorry 'bout that dude," I apologized.

"You're the girl from the photograph," he said.

"I beg your pardon?"

He suddenly snapped back to reality. "Oh. Nothing."

I eyed him curiously but I had to smash the piñata before the kids make a riot and flatten me.

I grabbed my blindfold but then stopped.

This is a huge obstacle. I should just get rid of this so I'll be done faster. Besides, all the kids want is candy.

I swung the stick at the piñata and it broke. Candies scattered to the floor and the children made a dash for it.

Wow. They were such candyholics. Even I wasn't like that before.

I proceeded to my seat after accomplishing my task.

Throughout the rest of the party, brown-haired dude kept on staring at me. But he'd look away whenever I looked at him. I found him very odd.

What did he mean 'girl from the photograph?'

Oh well. I should just forget it.

All the guests went home now. Even Kyleen. She was holding Amanda's hand as they trotted outside.

Lance was observing them. He never expected to meet the girl from the photograph this soon. In fact, he never thought he'd get a chance to meet her.

He had to admit, even though she dressed like a boy (why on earth was she wearing that anyway?), she was very pretty. She could knock a guy off his feet.

He felt intrigued by her. She was different. She was definitely something new. Plus she looked so lovely.

If only she dressed like a girl.

Oh well. He was still impressed anyway.

He chuckled to himself. "She looks even prettier in real life."


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER 18 (WHEEL)

"Boo!" a zombie appeared from the cupboard.

A blond-haired girl behind me screamed and clung to her boyfriend. For me, that wasn't much help since her boyfriend seemed just as scared as she was.

The darkness was very thick now and the only thing guiding our group was the faint glow of candles that were placed along the walls. The candles flickered feebly, as if they would die out soon.

A robot bat swung overhead and my whole group screamed. I think I even heard someone behind me scream like a banshee.

I wasn't scared though. This certainly wasn't effective. For one thing, I knew that these were all fake. Totally harmless. Just look at the zombie a while ago. It was nothing more than a person with fake gashes and red food coloring dripping from his mouth.

Nope. Nothing scared me.

"Scared?" Harry asked me.

I shook my head. "Nope. It's all fake."

Finally, we reached the end of the maze. The door swung open and we were finally basking in sunlight. A lot of people seemed relieved. They were about to wet their pants back there.

"Wanna go get some ice cream?" Harry asked me.

I smiled. "Sure Harry."

Harry asked me out to go to the theme park this Saturday. I don't know what popped into his mind but he said he had something important to tell me. I needed to come, or else he'd go bonkers.

I laughed on the phone, saying 'Of course you idiot.'

So here we were at the theme park. The first thing we went to was that 'Horror House'. Really, it wasn't that scary.

Harry and I bought some ice cream and began roaming the park.

A lot of people were here; kids mostly. The mascots started coming in so the kids were now flocking to them, eager to take a picture.

It was pretty sunny today. A few clouds dotted the sky and there was no chance that it'd rain today. It was the perfect weather.

I looked at Harry. He was busy licking his ice cream.

I wondered what he wanted to tell me. He seemed pretty serious on the phone.

I suddenly held his hand and squeezed it very tightly. He flinched and laughed at me.

"What was that for?" he asked, chuckling.

"Noooothhhiinng," I grinned.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever Kyleen."

I pouted. "Don't call me Kyleen. My name's Kyle, remember?"

I honestly had no complaints about my name. But if I were a boy, my name should've been Kyle. So I wanted to be called Kyle.

"Nah. Kyleen suits you perfectly," Harry smiled at me, still holding my hand.

I let go of his hand, laughing. "Fine. If we keep this up, people might think we're a couple."

He grinned at me. "Yeah."

He didn't mind though. In fact, he wished that the two of us were a couple. He really liked me, and he found me fun. All he had to do was make me embrace my feminine side.

I was a hard one though. For instance, I was still wearing loose pants and though my shirt wasn't that loose, it was far from fitting.

Suddenly, Harry stopped. He looked up.

I looked at him curiously. "What's up Harry?"

He smiled. "Wanna go to the Ferris Wheel?"

I looked up at the enormous rotating wheel. It seemed very high up. Very, very high up.

My knees started to wobble.

'Get a grip on yourself!' I scolded myself.

Jeez. Be tough. Come on. It's only a Ferris Wheel. Heck, haunted houses and slasher films didn't scare me. And this was a kiddie ride.

But…

It sure is high up.

Harry noticed me expression. "Hey, if you don't want to, we can skip that."

I snapped back to reality and grinned at him. "Don't be silly Harry. Of course I want to go!"

I yanked him and dragged him to the line.

I am not scared. I can do this!

Duh!

OH MY FREAKING GOSH!!!!!!! THIS IS SO HIGH UP!!!!!!!

My mind was practically screaming as I looked down. The people from below looked nothing more like mere ants now and we were definitely far from the ground.

My hand gripped the metal railings hard. I was afraid that there might be a freak accident, then I'd fall down, then I'd be spaghettified.

Okay. So I lied. Something did scare me. I was afraid of heights.

Give me haunted houses, give me violent films, give me insects; I don't care.

But when it comes to heights…

I am dead scared.

Of course, I acted tough around Harry; as if heights never bothered me at all.

But gosh was it hard to keep this up.

I seriously want to cry.

But no. Boys don't cry. Yes. I have to be strong. I should not be some whiny girl and start sobbing on Harry's shirt.

Harry looked very calm. He was gazing outside, looking at the view. He seemed to be enjoying a lot.

I felt the total opposite. I wanted to get out of this hell hole.

He suddenly turned to me, a serious expression on his face. "Kyleen… I've got to tell you something."

"Y-Yes?" I croaked out.

"Wait… Are you sure you're okay?"

I nodded. "Don't be ridiculous Harry. Of course. Go on."

"Well… If you're sure," he eyed me suspiciously but continued. "You see… I've been meaning to tell you this… I…"

All of a sudden, I heard a scream from the other compartment.

THAT'S IT!!!!!!

I lunged towards Harry and hugged him very tightly.

"Harry… Don't let me go…" I said, my head against his chest.

He looked very surprised. "Kyleen… What's wrong?"

"I'm… scared…"

"Scared of heights?"

"Y-yes?"

I started crying on his chest. I've wanted to get out of here so badly. But my pride wouldn't let me.

Well whoopdidoo. Look where it's gotten me now.

"Aw… You should've said something," Harry said as he stroked my hair.

"I'm sorry… I'm just scared… Harry, promise me you won't let me go?" I sniffed.

He smiled at me. "Of course Kyleen."

I hugged him more tightly. I was just so scared. Thank God Harry was here. At least I had someone to hold on to.

"Aw… Come here…" Harry said.

I looked up. He was smiling at me; and his eyes seemed to sparkle.

Thump!

Oh dear. There goes my heart again!

Why am I feeling this way?

He wiped my tears with the tip of his finer. "It's alright to say you're scared. I don't mind. Something's bound to scare you. But I'll be here if you need me. You can tell me you're scared and I'll try to comfort you."

I looked up at him and grinned. "Your shirt's wet… Sorry."

He laughed. "No worries."

I smiled at him. "Thanks though Harry. Really."

He smiled. "Sure thing Kyleen."

I hugged him once more, feeling secure.

I never thought I'd whine like this. I was so at myself with Harry.

But it felt nice… Having someone to hold on to. Even though I whined like a pathetic girl, I'm glad I did it in front of Harry.


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER 19 (STALKER)

I was at the comedy section at the DVD store. I've been trying to find a good movie to watch, but it seems that I haven't decided yet.

I certainly wasn't going for those icky romantic chick flicks.

I wanted a film that could make me laugh. I was already tired of horror films. I don't even feel as much as an ounce of terror. Heck, being in the Ferris Wheel was way scarier than any horror film.

Good thing Harry was…

I paused. I shook my head and breathed in deeply.

I began looking at the comedy section once more, hoping I'd spot a good movie.

Aha. I saw a pretty cute movie:

She's the Man.

Yup. I'm definitely borrowing that. In a way, I could relate myself with Amanda Bynes in the film. I didn't want to go to archaic debutante parties and wear tight dresses. We were both so much alike.

But… would a guy come sweep me off my feet like the way Channing Tatum did with Amanda Bynes?

I don't know what it feels like to be in love. I mean, I'm in love with Kyle the celebrity; but I've never been in love with a guy who's just near me. Someone I actually had a chance with; someone's who's not impossible for me to meet. I've never experienced that.

And I don't think I ever will…

But… what about that funny feeling with Harry?

Well… That's just it. It's a funny feeling. Nothing more than that.

All of a sudden, a guy from the other side caught my eye. He quickly averted his gaze from me and hurriedly walked away.

My eyes followed him.

Hey. He looked familiar. I racked my brains to figure out who he was.

Finally, it hit me.

He was the guy from the party! The one I mistook as a piñata!

What's he doing here?

Is he-

No!

Was he stalking me?

Ooh. Maybe I should just let it go. I mean, he hasn't done anything to me…

Yet.

Plus, I was bothered.

How did he know me? Why did he run away when I saw him? His behaviour only made him appear fishy to me.

And I certainly did not like it.

I grabbed the movie from the shelf and paid for it at the counter.

I think the stranger wasn't here anymore. He seems to have disappeared.

I sighed in relief and looked out the glass doors.

At least he wasn't here to make me feel unnerved. At least I didn't feel threatened in any way. At least…

Suddenly, I squinted, trying to get a better view of the place through the glass doors. Something had attracted my attention.

Hang on…

Oh…

He's still here?

There he was outside, looking at me. He looked away at once though and began walking.

That was it! I needed to figure things out!

I quickly scrabbled for my borrowed DVD and hurriedly pushed the glass doors open. I was outside now. The creep was only a few meters away. He was brisk-walking now.

Okay. Time to solve things once and for all.

I immediately broke into a sprint. He stopped his brisk-walking and began running now too.

'Jeez! Slow down will you pal??' I thought furiously as I chased after him, my feet loudly slapping the pavement.

"Hey!!! Get back here!!!" I yelled after him. I nearly bumped into an orange stand but I managed to avoid it. I think the old man managing it roared after me.

Sorry. This was just more important!

My lungs were burning now. But I didn't slow down my speed. In fact, I only got faster now.

He was speeding up as well. We were both determined not to slow down even for a fraction of a second.

Okaaay. Time to show him what you're made of Kyleen.

I was once on the track and field team. Maybe all those arduous training has done me good now.

I really stepped up my game and finally caught up with him. He looked panicked as he saw me closing in on him.

Finally, I was only inches away from him. I jumped at him, letting out a roar. Or more like a battle cry. We both toppled to the ground.

I don't think he had a scratch or anything but he did look hurt.

Hah. He deserves it.

I was on top of him, my butt on his chest. I pinned down his right arm with my right hand and my other fist was clenched. He was staring at me in disbelief.

"What the bloody hell are you doing??" he asked, panting. A bead of sweat trickled from his forehead.

"Well! I know you're stalking me! Don't deny it!! I'm not stupid! What do you want from me? Money? My stuff? My bag? My wallet? My credit card?" I yelled at him.

I paused for a moment.

Whoops. I had no credit card. I guess I got carried away. Anywho.

"What??" he demanded, wriggling to get free but I pinned him to the ground.

"I don't have a credit card!" I snapped back, still not getting off him.

"Who bloody cares if you don't????"

"Okay! Fine! Jeez! Anyway, that's not the point. Why on earth were you following me?"

"Who do you think you are? A celebrity?"

"Yes!! I mean… No! Uugh! Stop asking me questions because I can't think straight! I know you've been following me! I'm not daft! I know-"

All of a sudden, my stomach grumbled loudly. He looked at me, totally confused now.

Rats! I knew I should've eaten more breakfast. But I was in a hurry to go around.

"Um… Um…" I started, feeling too embarrassed to say anything. I felt my cheeks flush pink.

He rolled his eyes. "Honestly, you shouldn't starve yourself."

"I… I know! I just…"

Hm… Maybe I should eat first. I think there's a nearby cake shop here. I think it's just around the corner.

"Right! Let's eat first!" I said, getting off him.

Now he looked pole axed. Well, it must be weird to have a girl pounce on you and suddenly ask you to eat with her.

Oh well. My stomach's wish was my command. I had to satiate it once more with ATPs.

"I don't understand you," he sighed as he sat up, brushing some dirt off his jeans.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm worse than Greek. Come on, criminal. Let's eat before I start interrogating you," I said and helped him up by holding his hand.

"Hey! I'm not a criminal!" he protested.

I held his hand tightly. He might escape. "Whatever. Invasion of privacy is a crime. Anyway, hurry up. I'm hungry scoundrel."

He rolled his eyes but agreed to go with me peacefully.

He was really confused now. He simply could not figure me out. I seemed totally unpredictable to him. Even weird.

But the strange thing was…

He found that cute about me.


	21. Chapter 21

CHAPTER 20 (CAKE PHOTO SHOOT)

"So, what do you want?" I asked him as I scanned the menu.

I don't know about him, but I'm in a hurry to order. I want to eat that sweet, delectable cake right now.

There were a lot of delicious-looking cakes being showcased. Just looking at the picture mad me feel hungry. I couldn't wait to taste the actual thing when it's finally laid before me.

"Chocolate cake," he responded.

"Wait… Won't you get fat? I don't want to starve my prisoner but I want you fit too," I piped in.

"I am not your prisoner."

"He'll have some cheesecake. No toppings. Plain," I said to the waiter in a pleasant tone.

He shot me an indignant look. "Hey! I wanted chocolate!"

I rolled my eyes. "Fine. You're whiny you know. Fine. Chocolate for him and blueberry cheesecake for me."

The waiter nodded and went away. The chatter of the customers filled the place. I could hear the tinkling of spoons and forks. The place had a cute air about it. I almost felt like I was in a different country.

Okay. Back to business. Who is this bub?

"So, why are you following me?" I asked him.

He groaned. "Again with the stalker thing? Look, I'm not. Okay?"

I raised an eyebrow, feeling skeptical.

"Look, it bothers me to have someone dogging me like the way you do. If you won't tell me why, I'll call the cops and sue you," I threatened him.

He had an outraged expression on his face. "Call the cops?! Are you nuts?!"

"I'm afraid I'm not. I am dead serious."

Wow. I didn't know why I was getting so worked up. Maybe the reason's because I could finally live one of my fantasies; cornering a criminal, pouncing on him, and then asking him questions.

He looked at me, I didn't waver. Finally, he gave out a huge sigh.

Hah. He surrenders.

"I think it's better if I show you," he said and pulled out a few photographs from his pocket. He carefully laid those in front of me and I looked at the glossy things.

I gasped.

It was all… me.

He held up a hand as I shot him a confused look. "Don't worry. I'm no perv. I just like photography. I must say you look quite good in these photos. Sorry if I've been… sort of… Oh fine. So I have been stalking you a bit. A bit. Okay? You just look good in pictures. Despite your horrid fashion sense. Peace."

"Hey, what's wrong with my manner of dressing?" I huffed.

"Oh. Sorry. I forgot that it's perfectly normal for a growing lady to dress like a boy. Sorry," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

I raised an eyebrow and was about to snap back but decided to just shut up.

This guy's a wise cracker.

I looked at the photographs once more. Wow… They were pretty good really. I actually still looked like a girl in these pictures despite being in boys' clothes.

It's funny though… When I look ay myself in the mirror, I think that I looked nothing like a girl.

I guess the way I thought was different. There's a total difference from my point of view and this camera's point of view.

Hm… Maybe I should take a few more pictures.

"Hey, you got a camera?" I asked him.

"What? Y-yeah I do. What do you want with it?"

"Take a picture of me!" I grinned at him.

He rolled his eyes. "Why?"

I pointed to the window. He looked outside and flinched as he saw a police officer. He turned to me and sighed.

"Fine."

I clapped my hands. "Excellent."

He started taking my pictures of me. I was enjoying a lot. I never knew that I had this vain side to me. I never knew that I loved having my pictures taken. He seemed to be enjoying too though. He'd chuckle every time I did a really funny pose or do a funny face.

Finally, after the last pose, we stopped. We were both laughing.

"You actually have some really good pictures here," he grinned as he scanned the pictures on his camera.

I grinned. "Really? That's great?"

After a few moments, our order arrived. I began digging my spoon into my blueberry cheesecake. I carefully ate it.

Mm… Yummy…

"Prisoner, you like your cake?" I asked him.

Oooh. I liked the sound of that. 'Prisoner'.

He rolled his eyes after eating a slice of his cake. "I do have a name you know."

"Oh. Sorry. I got carried away."

He chuckled. "It's okay. My name's Lance. Lance Kingsley."

"Well, nice to meet you Lance. My name's Kyleen Marloes."

"Ah. Kyleen's a nice name."

"Call me Kyle."

He shook his head. "Nah. Kyleen suits you."

I smiled and dug into my blueberry cheesecake once more.

Funny. He said the exact same thing as Harry.

We chatted for a while. Lance seemed to be my musical soul mate. We had a lot in common when it came to music. I never thought that my day would end up like this. I imagined him begging on his knees while I had a triumphant grin on my face.

Okay. My imagination's officially out of control.

Finally, we said goodbye to each other.

I had a lot of fun, really. I liked this Lance dude. He was pretty cool.

Lance liked me too, very much. And somehow, I reminded him of someone.


	22. Chapter 22

CHAPTER 21 (HOLE)

"Nooooooo…." I moaned, holding my books.

Trisha placed her arm around my shoulder, giving me a tight squeeze that nearly knocked the breath out of me. "Aw… Cheer up. You're very lucky you know. A lot of girls would die to have your part. Especially since Harry's playing the lead role."

Marie tapped my shoulder and I swivelled around to face her. I grimaced.

She laughed. "There's nothing wrong with playing the role of Mulan. Besides, you might learn something about yourself." She winked at me.

I was still frowning. None of this seemed bright. I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but I couldn't see anything positive about this. Not even a single iota or a colloid particle. I stared at the script I was holding and read what it said on the cover page.

There it was printed in bold, black letters:

Mulan: Kyleen Nieves Marloes.

Yup. I was going to play Mulan in our class presentation. Our school always did hold plays. It's become somewhat a tradition now. And it all started fifteen years ago as a class project. Now it's become an event for high school students. And we usually present the plays to grade-schoolers. Good thing they were well-behaved, and a teacher with hawk-like eyes was always watching them. I never did get to know her name. I only called her the 'Hawk Lady'.

Don't get me wrong. It's a positively nice and even wonderful way to express creativity. Perfect, even. But…

Why did I have to nab the lead role???

It's Harry's fault!

You know what he did?? He made me audition!! Yes! Audition! He told me that I was a yellow-belly sissy ballerina if I didn't audition!

Pride was my kryptonite. So naturally, and rather quite foolishly, I went about auditioning.

In fact, I even fell down on the audition! My face collided directly with the floor!

Then I heard one of the judges whisper 'Oh! Look! She'd make a perfect Mulan. She's so clumsy, she'll make the kids laugh all the time!'

I was about to snap back but then decided that it would be rude, and I'd be sent to the principal's office.

Excuse me. I am not clumsy! I'm not adroit, but I am not that clumsy. I was just… Uh… The Laws of Physics changed for a fraction of a second and I, being affected by the change, inevitably lost my balance.

Duh. I'd be affected if the laws of science changed.

But what caught their attention was the way I auditioned. I don't know why I actually tried to deliver the lines properly. Maybe it's because Mulan had been a very powerful figure to me ever since I was a kid. I always did admire her.

She didn't wait for some prince to come to her or anything. No. She went through a war, hid her identity and managed to save China. She made her own destiny, even if it defied the decree of the Emperor.

And best of all, she didn't wear any stupid, frilly gown.

So that's why I actually felt my role as Mulan.

And I got the role.

Oh gosh… Could I do this???

My family was actually thrilled. Mom especially. You'd think I'd brought home a unicorn. She's already had my dress made and had arrangements with hairstylists and make-up artists. She's simply overjoyed.

Well now, I'm certain that I'll be able to look the part.

The problem is…

Will I be able to act out my part very well?

What if I forget my lines? Or totally blank out onstage? Or what if I went out before my cue?

I sighed.

I just hope I don't screw this up and make an embarrassment of myself.

"Kyleen… Calm down," Harry chuckled as he held his script. A hand was propped under his chin. He wore his glasses now, which were slightly askew.

My hands still shook as I held my own script. I held it so tightly, I feel like my nails would rip the delicate paper. "Oh. Sorry Harry. I'm just nervous that I'll screw up."

He looked at me and squeezed my hand. My heart went thumping once more. I mentally kicked myself.

"You'll be fine Kyleen. You just have to practice. Besides, you were amazing during the audition," he smiled gently at me.

I gave out a sigh. Harry's right. If I did it once, I could do it again.

I gave it another try; this time letting my courage show. My hands didn't shake so much anymore and my voice seemed stronger now.

I was finally regaining the confidence that I seemed to have lost a while ago. Thanks to Harry. I'm glad I was paired up with him.

I gazed at the walls. Gosh this school theatre seemed a bit old. Nevertheless, it's still sturdy. Although, it is quite lonely now. It was only lively once the school festivals came. But otherwise, it only seemed like an abandoned building.

But… There was another reason why people don't go here often.

They said that there were ghosts here. I don't really believe in those eerie tales though.

Finally, Harry and I had finished rehearsing. That was good enough. I could express my lines very well. All that's left for me to do is memorize.

That shouldn't be a problem.

I was about to exit the theatre when Harry placed an arm on my shoulder.

I swivelled around. "What is it Harry?"

He was scanning the place, looking very interested. What was he up to?

"Why don't we explore this place for a bit? Say, about thirty minutes?" he suggested, looking at me expectantly.

I grinned and rolled my eyes. "Fine. Let's go."

I had to admit, the place was a bit creepy. Even without all those circulating ghost stories. The wood creaked and there was still silence. The only things missing were hisses and whispers from the walls.

We were at the stage now. Clouds of dust started to appear. The once fine and new wood seemed old and battered now. Nevertheless, it was still sturdy enough to support whatever was onstage.

"Hey! I found something!" Harry said.

I walked over to him. He pulled open a bolt and the wooden floor opened to reveal stairs.

Wow! A trap door!

I peeked inside. It was pretty dark. I could only make out the faint outlines of the silvery cobwebs that practically covered the whole vicinity below.

"I'll go in," Harry grinned and went inside, disappearing from sight.

"Well… I'll stay here," I said.

I didn't like closed places. Darkness, okay. We'd still get along. But enclosed places? No.

Besides, Harry could take care of himself right?

All of a sudden, I felt worried about him. What if something bad happens to him? What if he gets hurt? It is awfully dark down there.

I looked at the trap door once more.

Maybe I should follow him. I had a flashlight anyway. He might need it… Nah… He definitely needed it.

I proceeded to following him when I suddenly tripped.

I screamed.

I fell down hard. I was tumbling on the stairs now. I heard something shut with a loud thud.

Finally, I landed on the floor. I coughed and sat up. I took out my flashlight, turned it on, and rubbed my head.

Stupid me. Why wasn't I more careful?

Harry approached me, looking concerned. "Hey, you okay?"

I winced as I rubbed my head. I think I had a lump.

"I'm fine but…" I started when I looked up.

There was not a single stream of light passing through this place. There was total darkness.

I paled and pursed my lips as I realized what had just happened.

Oh my…

We're locked in here.


	23. Chapter 23

CHAPTER 22 ( FRIGHT)

The only thing that was positive about our wretched situation was the fact that I brought a flashlight with me. If not, I would've had a nervous breakdown and I would've gone catatonic.

Harry was pushing the trap door open. But it seemed very hard to do so. The thing was so stubborn.

He returned to me, a frown on his face. "Stuck."

I groaned and lowered my flashlight. "Oh no… I'm really sorry Harry. I should've been more careful."

He shook his head and looked forward. "Nah. It's okay Kyleen. Come on. Let's find a way out of here."

He held my hand and I directed my flashlight forward. We started walking.

I sneezed as I swatted a cobweb in front of me.

Jeez this place was super dusty! Plus the props being kept here seemed to have been contained here for a century. There were dust and cobwebs everywhere.

Well, there must be a way out.

"Kyleen… You've heard of the ghost stories here right?" Harry asked, not taking his eyes off the stretch of darkness before us.

I nodded. "Yup. I don't believe in those though."

Really, there was no evidence at all. I'll believe it when I see it.

Although… This place does seem ghostly…

Aargh! Get a grip on yourself! Don't be scared!

I held my flashlight tighter.

Maybe it's because this time, I don't know what's coming out. I wasn't sure if anything else here was just a prop made to scare people, or a human that had fake blood and make-up so that they came off as poor imitations of monsters.

I suddenly found myself squeezing Harry's hand tighter.

Okay. Get a grip on yourself. Nothing's here… Nothing's…

All of a sudden, I heard something shriek behind us.

THAT'S IT!!!!!

"Haarrryyy!!!" I screamed and ran forward, dragging him with me.

I have to get out!!! I have to get out!!!!

I HAVE TO GET OUT!!!!

All of a sudden, I tripped. My hand landed on the ground and my flashlight flew out of it. I coughed as I inhaled dust.

Harry bent over me; he had my flashlight in his hand. He rubbed my back.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked me.

I coughed once more.

Jeez! This place deserves one heck of a cleaning!

"I'm fine… Sorry I panicked," I said as I began to sit up.

Once again, I have embarrassed myself in front of Harry.

"Nah. It's okay. I would've run too you know. Man this place gives me the creeps," he said, looking around.

All of a sudden, I heard another shriek.

I jumped up and hugged Harry, my knees wobbling.

"Harry! Harry! Harry! Harry! Harry! Harry!" I whined.

I was nearly dancing now. Why oh why did I have to trip down that stupid flight of stairs???

My grip on Harry's shirt got tighter.

"Sorry Harry…," I said as I held him.

"For what?" he asked.

"For being a sissy… I'm sorry… You must be sick of it. I'm really sorry…"

He gave out a sigh.

I knew it. He was sick and tired of it. And who could blame him? I certainly don't.

To my surprise, his arms slowly hugged me.

What? Why?

I thought he was angry.

"Kyleen… I told you before; it's alright to be scared. You don't have to be so brave," he said.

"But… But… I should be tough. Like a boy," I replied, sniffing.

Oh gosh. Why's my heart beating hard and fast? Why's it acting this way?

He let out a chuckle. "But you're not a boy Kyleen. And besides, boys get scared too."

I sighed.

He had a point.

"Okay. Thanks for understanding Harry," I said.

I felt better now. Much better.

He smiled. "No problem."

All of a sudden, he kissed my forehead gently. I could feel my cheeks burn as he did so. My heart was racing non-stop now. All of this was confusing me.

Why's Harry making me feel this way?

"Wait. I see something," Harry said.

I let go of him and turned to where he was pointing.

Wow. There was a door!!

I grinned at him. "Let's get out of here."


	24. Chapter 24

CHAPTER 23 (AFFAIR)

"Yes!!! Freedoom!!" I practically danced as we got outside.

Oooh. The sunshine never looked any better than now. Seriously. I feel like I've been enshrouded in darkness for ages.

Harry grinned as he shut the door behind him. "I know. There was a door after all. Good thing it was open too."

I looked back at the building. The door was tiny, almost unnoticeable; and it was positioned right at the bottom-most part of the theatre. Thank God for that door.

I skipped around, feeling like a child. I was just so happy!

I looked around.

The trees glistened and the leaves looked like thin emeralds. The puffy clouds seemed so soft and I felt like I wanted to touch them. Oooh. There was Trisha with Dougie. The soil that was usually nothing more than brown muck to me now seemed more precious than gold.

Jeez. I never really appreciated my surroundings. Everything seems so beautiful now.

Everything's…

Wait…

Hang on a sec…

Trisha…

And…

Dougie?

I looked around once more but they seemed to have disappeared.

What are they doing together?

Harry seemed confused as well. "Did you see-?"

"Yup. Let's follow them," I said and hurried off to where the duo disappeared to.

Ooh. This felt like a spy mission! What on earth were they up to?

Finally, we saw them. The two were sitting under a tree, chatting. I saw Trisha laugh as Dougie told her something.

"Hide there!" Harry hissed as we hid behind the bushes. We were close enough to hear and see the two.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Isn't it obvious? They're on a date."

"A date? What? What? What?"

"Jeez. Calm down Kyleen. Actually, Dougie's had a crush on Trisha since the start of school year. Wow. Can't believe he's asked her out already. He's awfully shy around her."

Whoa! Dougie likes Trisha?

So that would explain why he's extra nice to her. No wonder he'd always let her go first or open the door for her.

Ah…

So they were in love.

"Ah! I see!" I said in an amazed tone.

Harry laughed. "Wow. And I thought that you were supposed to be smart."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever Harry."

Suddenly, the bushes we were hiding in parted. We looked up to see Trisha and Dougie grinning at us.

"Hello dude," Dougie grinned.

Harry and I turned pink.

Rats! We got caught!

"Um… Hey Dougie," Harry grinned, making a peace sign.

Dougie chuckled. "It's okay dude. Next time, if you're trying to spy on someone, keep your voices down." He winked at us.

Harry and I stood up, brushing the dirt off our clothes.

Okay. We were just too chatty.

I approached Trisha and placed my hand on her shoulder. "Hey. Why didn't you say anything?"

She turned pink. "Sorry. I had to find the right time."

"Nah. It's okay."

The four of us ended up chatting the whole afternoon. Of course, we never told them our ghostly experience. That was a tale that was better kept secret.

Dougie and Trisha were very sweet. I kind of envy Trisha. At least she knows now what it's like to have someone sweep you off your feet.

I wondered when mine will happen…

But…

I'm a boy. I can't be like this! Only icky girls fall for gross romantic stuff! No way was I going to be a victim of all of this as well!

I looked at Harry. Then I actually said in my mind that he was cute.

I mentally punched myself.

Stop that Kyleen! Don't you even dare!

But I couldn't help it. When I look at Harry, I suddenly had the urge to get out of these baggy clothes and put on a dress. Something that was more feminine and… well…

Attractive…

I sighed a bit.

Maybe…

Maybe it's time I embraced my feminine side.


	25. Chapter 25

CHAPTER 24 (REINCARNATION)

Suddenly, I had this weird feeling that I wanted to actually fix myself up.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I brushed my hair, making sure each stubborn strand was in place. I even put some powder. And I didn't hesitate one bit.

That was odd. Really odd.

I have never felt this way. I never felt the urge to… well… look pretty.

But pretty for who?

'Harry', my mind supplied.

I blushed as I thought about him.

Aaargh! Stop Kyleen! You are being pretty because you want to! Not because of a boy.

I felt like I was reincarnated. I felt like a new person.

In fact, I wasn't wearing my usual jeans and loose shirt. I was actually wearing a skirt. I never thought about changing.

And the other thing is, I even bought some strawberry-scented body spray yesterday.

I chuckled as I sprayed some on me.

It actually smells good. Even better than the men's body spray.

Wow. I've actually been converted into a girl now.

I think it's because of Harry.

My door opened and my mom entered the room. She beamed as she saw me.

"Wow. You're looking very pretty honey," she smiled at me.

I beamed at her. "I thought a change would be nice."

She approached me and hugged me. "And it's a wonderful change honey. I'm happy you've turned around."

"Me too mom."

"Now Kyleen, can you go get the groceries?" she asked me, handing me a folded piece of paper.

I nodded. "Sure mom."

.


	26. Chapter 26

CHAPTER 25 (WAKE UP SLEEPING BEAUTY)

"Alright," I said as I scanned the list.

pickles.

corn kernel

butter

apple

ketchup

I've got pickles, ketchup, apple, corn kernel…

All that's left is butter.

Okay. Time to head for that section.

I pushed my cart forward, its wheels making a slight squeak. I could hear the usual eighties music being played on the stereos here.

I didn't mind though. I always did love music from the eighties.

My cart skidded to a stop as I halted in front of the dairy section. I got the butter there and proceeded to the counter.

All of a sudden, someone tapped my shoulder.

I turned around to see Marie and Trisha grinning at me.

"Hey guys," I grinned at them.

Trisha smiled after taking a glance at my outfit. "Nice outfit. We're glad you've finally embraced your feminine side."

Marie nodded in agreement. "It's about time."

I nearly forgot that Trisha and Marie owned this super mart. So yeah, they were pretty rich.

"What's that you've got there?" I asked Marie.

She was holding a round plastic container that had these icky green…

Are those molds??

"Oh. This is expired cheese. I think it's been stale for a month now. Trisha saw it at the warehouse. I thought it might be handy someday," Marie replied, holding the container as if it were the most precious commodity in the world.

I nodded, unaware how I should react. "Ah… That's… interesting."

"Why hello there Kyleen. What happened?" a sarcastic voice said behind me.

I turned around and frowned as I saw who was behind me.

"Great. There're also Tweedledee and Tweedledum," Trisha frowned as she crossed her arms.

The person whom I hated the most was standing right in front of me: Tatiana Hansel. And her two dim-witted cronies: Lenny Orphy and Leah Jeero.

Tatiana Han-sell out. I hated her. She's always been picking on me ever since I refused to let her copy my test paper during the first grade.

We've been mortal enemies ever since.

She eyes me, one plucked eyebrow raised.

"I see you're trying to be a wannabe. What's the matter? Weren't you content with your old, pathetic self in your pathetic boy world?" she scoffed.

"Earth to Kyleen. It doesn't suit you," Leah giggled, a contemptuous smile on her face.

I felt a pang of pain erupt in my chest. That snide remark had stung me.

"You don't belong in our world. So stay away." Lenny jeered.

"And you never will," Tatiana smirked.

The three giggled.

I clenched my fists.

"Shut up," I said.

Tatiana sneered at me. "Aw… That's all you can say? Well, I hope you'll learn new words. Play's coming. We wouldn't want you to make a fool of yourself…"

"Or maybe we do," Lenny grinned malevolently.

"Either way, we know you'll ruin it. We seriously thought it was a joke when you auditioned," Tatiana added.

I didn't even want to slap them, punch them, or even hit them in any way. Even if I did felt anger bubbling inside me.

I just wanted to run away.

I wanted to run into the comforts of my room and cry there.

They're right… I don't belong in the girly world… And I'm bound to ruin the play…

"Tatiana! What's that?" Trisha suddenly cried out.

The three looked to where Trisha was pointing to. All of a sudden, Marie hurled the one-month cheese at Tatiana.

The green mold started to spread on her white shirt. She gasped as she saw what happened. Or it was more like a sharp intake of breath. Marie gave a high five to Trisha.

"Why you-" Tatiana gasped as Lenny and Leah tried to clean out her shirt in vain.

"Clean up on Aisle 12!" Trisha shouted and laughed.

The three stormed away and threw furious glances at us. Trisha stuck out her tongue at them.

Marie placed a hand on my shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm… fine… I have to go… Thanks for sticking up for me…" I said and hurriedly went away.

I am not okay. I am far from okay.

I was crying now. I was sobbing into my pillow which I was hugging so tightly.

I didn't eat dinner. I told my mom that I ate a burger on the way and I was full.

Trisha and Marie called me. But I told them that I was fine.

I can handle this on my own. But…

Darn this was hard.

In a way, what Tatiana and her cow friends said was true. And I changed radically.

Why should I fit in? In fact, I didn't fit in at all. I don't know much, if not anything, about all those girly necessities.

I may be good at academics, but I had zero knowledge about being a girl.

And the play…

I'll just ruin it…

Like the way I did with my Trigonometry… I'm not an actress…

I never was…

It's been fun but…

I think I should go back to the old me.

And…

I sniffed and rubbed my eyes.

I should quit the play.


	27. Chapter 27

CHAPTER 26 (QUIT)

"Miss Annabelle, I'm sorry but I'd like to quit the play. Give the role of Mulan to someone else," I said as I stood in front of her. My fingers were holding my handkerchief.

She gasped. "Are you sure Kyleen? I mean, it is possible since it's still early, but… are you sure?"

Sure? I'm positive. I'm just going to ruin the play anyway. I might as well leave so I'll spare everyone from the trouble.

I know it's drastic… I know it's selfish…

Nah. It's not selfish. I'd be doing everyone a favour. And I'm pretty sure there are tons of other girls out there who can do better than me.

Way better.

Good thing I told my mom today. She was about to have my costumes done. I told her that I was too scared for the role. She understood as always. Good old mom.

"Well then, if you're sure, I'll start looking for someone else," Miss Annabelle said, though there was a disappointed tone to her voice.

I nodded. "Thank you Miss."

This is what I liked about her. At least she never demanded a reason once you seemed decisive.

I walked out of her offices. As I got outside, I saw Harry. I nearly jumped. He just appeared out of the blue.

"Oh. Hey Harry," I said, smiling a bit.

Instead of smiling back, Harry was frowning at me. "I heard you were quitting. Kyleen, are you out of your mind?"

I pursed my lips and shook my head. "Look Harry. I just… I'll screw it up… And everyone thinks so too. I'd better steer clear from trouble. It was a mistake for me to audition… And so was trying to be a girl."

I walked past him. He placed an arm on my shoulder. He had a pleading look on his face. I looked at him.

"Harry… Just leave me alone," I said and brushed him off gently.

He stared at me as I walked away.

He clenched his fists. "No. None of that was ever a mistake."

Harry swung the door to Miss Annabelle's office. He nearly made the lady jump as he did so. He entered quite abruptly.

"Miss Annabelle! You can't-" he started when Miss Annabelle raised a hand to silence him. He closed his mouth.

"Mister Judd, you know very well you have to knock before you enter," she said.

Harry sighed and went outside. He shut the door. As he got outside, he knocked on the door twice.

"Come in," she said.

Harry entered. "Miss Annabelle, about Kyleen…"

"Yes, Harry?"

He gave out a sigh. "Yup. Please don't find a replacement for her…"

He paused. Miss Annabelle looked up, intrigued.

"I think I can convince her to change her mind."


	28. Chapter 28

CHAPTER 27 (SURPRISE)

I pushed open the door to the review center. I was holding my test papers in Trig, which were horribly assorted in my hands. I'll sort those out later I guess.

So far, I've improved a lot. But Danny still gets higher scores.

I'm not bitter though. Danny and I were friends now after all. I had no reason to hate the guy.

I opened the door to see Harry seated behind the table. By now, I was used to this kind of scene between us.

It's funny though. He isn't wearing his glasses like he usually does.

"Hey Harry," I smiled at him as I sat down.

"Oh. Hey. You know, we aren't going to have a review today," he grinned at me.

I shot him a confused look, as if he had just spoken an alien language in front of me. "What?"

He stood up, a huge grin on his face. He took my Trig papers away from me and shoved them all inside the table's cabinet. "Now that that's cleared, I think we're ready. Let's go."

He took my hand and began dragging me towards the door.

"Harry! What's going on?" I asked him, rooting my feet to the ground so that he wouldn't carry me off so easily.

He grinned at me, as if he had just explained the phenomena of black holes. "We are going out and having some fun."

"Oh no Harry. I will not go in there," I said as I looked up, my arms crossed as a disapproving frown plastered itself on my face.

Harry grinned. "Oh come on. You need this. All girls need this when they want to get cheered up."

"I'm not depressed!" I replied heatedly. "And I am not going in there!""

"Yes you are. And you can't back out because I've scheduled an appointment."

"You what??"

Suddenly, Harry pushed me towards the dreaded place. My hands pushed through the glass doors quite unwillingly and I was plunged into the monstrous lair:

The salon.

I heard the cutting of hair as the scissors began snipping away. The blow driers gave off an annoying, screeching noise as I surveyed the area, a huge frown still stubbornly stuck on my face.

Hm… Majority of the employees here have dyed hair… Just an observation.

Harry and I went to the front desk. A girl with blond and purple (why on earth did she do that?) highlights greeted us.

"Hello!" she said brightly.

"Hi. We're here for the two o'clock appointment," Harry said.

The girl ran her finger down a list. Her nails were painted a bright orange. "Ah yes. Judd right? Just go over there and Kenny'll sort you out right away."

"Thanks," Harry said, ushering me to go to a red, plush seat.

We both sat down and waited. Finally, one assistant approached us. She had spiky hair that had red highlights on it. My mouth finally curled into a smile.

Maybe I could have spiky hair like that….

Harry patted my shoulder after seeing my expression.

He grinned at me. "Uh… no."

I pouted. "Aw fine…"

Still, I bet it would've looked great on me.

"Alright. I'm Kenny and I'll be here to fix you up," she grinned at me

"Wait a second. What about him?" I asked, pointing to Harry.

Don't tell me I'm going to go through this battle alone.

"Well, he has no schedule, only you," Kenny replied.

"No. Harry, I'll only go through this if you go through it too," I said.

He looked at me, eyes wide. I crossed my arms and gave him the I-will-not-budge look. Finally, he gave out a sigh, scratched his head, and nodded.

"Fine. Give me the same treatment too," he sighed and shot me an indignant look.

I only grinned at him. "Hey. All for one and one for all."

"You know, this is actually quite relaxing," Harry said as he had his nails trimmed.

I smiled. "I know. Who knew."

We were on chairs now and two girls were trimming our nails. Harry and I just had a really nice foot scrub. I felt all of the stress slowly dissipate as I got pampered.

"So… What got you depressed?" Harry asked.

I sighed.

Maybe I should tell him.

"Okay Harry…" I said and started telling him the story.

"Horridious, ugly cows," Harry frowned after I had narrated what happened to me.

It was kind of painful, but I'm glad I let it out. Especially when Harry said that Tatiana and her friends were dim-witted cows.

"But… Maybe what they said was true… I'll just ruin stuff," I admitted glumly.

Harry shook his head. "Nah. Don't listen to them Kyleen. Look, you were good, really. The judges wouldn't have deemed you qualified if you weren't. in my opinion, you rocked the audition. And… I like you as a girl because…"

He was looking at me intently when he suddenly blushed.

"Because of what Harry?" I ventured.

"Um… Okay. Because you're beautiful. Very beautiful," he finally admitted, a bit red now.

I blushed as well as I heard what he said.

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Er… Thanks Harry."

My heart began throbbing once more.

I never thought any guy would say that to me. Especially someone as handsome and as cute as Harry…

"Miss, time for your haircut," the lady trimming my nails said.

"Oh. Right," I said, still thinking about what Harry had said. Or more like daydreaming…

I sat on another chair now, facing a huge shiny mirror.

A man with pink highlights approached me, scissors in hand. He looked at me for a while, as if I were an interesting breed of super bacteria. He moved my head from time to time.

"I think side bangs and a layered cut would do you fine," he smiled at me.

I held one strand of my hair as I looked at the mirror.

Was I prepared to finally chop off my long hair?

To be honest, it kind of pained me to think that I'd finally let this go but…

I think I should start anew.

I smiled, finally making a decision. "Yes. I'd love that."

"Voila!" the guy said as he finished cutting the last bits.

I looked at myself in the mirror and all I could think was…

Is that me?

I looked different… I looked…. Better. Getting a haircut was the best thing that I have ever given myself.

"I love it…" I smiled as I admired myself. "Thank you."

The guy nodded and walked away.

Suddenly, Harry walked up to me. He placed his hands on my shoulder and smiled.

"You look so much better. Really," he said.

I stood up and faced him. "Thanks. I like the change myself."

I turned to face the mirror.

"OH!!" I suddenly heard Harry exclaim.

He slowly took out his jacket and gave it to me. I stared at it. What was I supposed to do with this?

"Before anything, wrap that around your waist," he instructed me, a serious tone to his voice.

Jeez. He sounded like a paranoid general.

Wrap it around my waist? Why?

"Why?" I asked him.

He shot me a confused look, like I knew what he was talking about and I was just playing dumb. "Don't tell me you don't know you have your period today?"

I gaped at him, my eyes stretching out. "P-period?"

Period? The red tide? I actually have it now????

As in…

NOW???

"I've never had my period before!!" I sputtered.

I turned around and checked my pants in the mirror and gasped.

There it was! A dark… red… blotchy stain!

I could only stare at my reflection in disbelief.

I can't believe it…

I'm having my period for the first time…


	29. Chapter 29

CHAPTER 28 ( PAIRS)

I waited outside the store as Harry went in to buy me a napkin.

The idiot. I told him that I'd buy it myself but he insisted that he do it. He must be looking like a fool now. I mean, he must look weird somehow!

But…

That was a pretty sweet gesture, stupidity aside.

I looked through the glass. Harry looked cool as he handed the napkins over to the cashier. I looked more carefully.

I saw two guys behind Harry laughing and making fun of him.

My blood boiled and I felt a vein throb in my hand.

Wait 'till they get out here. I'll clobber them.

The door swung open and the two idiots walked out. One whistled at me as he saw me.

That's it!!

"Hey! You looking for a fight??" I yelled at them, waving my fist.

"Calm down! Jeez!" one of them (brown-haired doofus) snapped, although it was clear that he seemed scared of me now.

"Well, it's your fault for being rude! Why don't you come here and we'll settle things out?!"

"Dude. She's nuts. Let's get outta here," his blond-haired friend whispered.

"What's that?! You scared?! I thought so!"

The two suddenly walked away, scared of me.

I huffed. "Yeah you better run!!"

"Kyleen, calm down," Harry said as he got out of the store.

I still felt like I couldn't calm down. They were just so rude!!

"How can I? And did you see them run? Cowards!" I muttered.

He placed an arm over my shoulder. He gave me my napkin and I thanked him.

"Calm down," he tried to soothe me.

I exhaled slowly. "Fine. Thanks Harry. I'll change now."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Come out," Harry said behind the curtains.

I looked at the mirror and frowned. "No! I look uugly!"

"Well, if you won't come out, I'll just have to go in!"

"Wait!"

But before I could stop him, he had already opened the curtains.

He smiled as he saw me. "Jeez. Why're you hiding? You look pretty."

I smiled as I fixed my bangs. "Well… Thanks."

Right now I was wearing a skirt that Harry bought for me.

Well… I did look pretty good.

I twirled around and giggled. "Thanks for the skirt Harry."

He grinned. "Sure. Anything for you."

We decided to roam around the mall for a while. I can't believe I have my period… And Harry was the one who witnessed it all!

Wow. Who would've thought?

We were walking around now, passing one store after another. My eyes glinted as I saw a comic book store.

I was still a comic freak and no amount of conversion would change me.

"Hey, wanna buy a Kipling bag?" Harry asked as he pointed to a Kipling store to the right.

I looked to the right. I never thought there was a Kipling store here. It must be pretty new. Otherwise, I would've noticed.

"Sure," I nodded and proceeded there.

We pushed open the glass doors and entered the store. Cute bags were on the display and it was just really nice here. I could feel my hands itching to get a hold of one of those bags.

We roamed around the place, searching for our bags. It was funny; Harry and I reached for one orange backpack at the same time. We only laughed as our hands touched.

And that gave me a giddy feeling inside.

Finally, we decided on which bags we'd take. Harry bought a green backpack and I bought a gray handbag.

We finally exited the store, happy with our choices.

"Hey, what's your monkey's name?" Harry asked as I skipped over a puddle.

"Monkey? Oh yeah! The key chains do have names," I exclaimed as I pulled out my bag, wondering what its name would be.

I pulled out the monkey keychain, its gray fur carefully nuzzled in my hand. I gasped and laughed as I saw what its name was.

"I can't believe this. It's Harry!" I chuckled and showed it to Harry, who laughed as well.

"Let me check mine," he said as he took out his monkey. I waited for a few seconds before he let out a surprised chuckle.

"Well, it's Kyleen," he replied.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed and checked his keychain.

Wow. Well I'll be. There it is: my name.

I laughed. "Funny coincidence."

Harry nodded. "I know."

This was such a funny day. First my new hairdo, then my period, and now this.

I don't know why, but being with Harry just made my day bright. I'm glad I was with him.

"Come on. Let's go home," he grinned as he placed an arm on my shoulder.

And I couldn't help but blush as he did so.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So… You'll do the play after all?" Harry asked as we walked to the front of my house. I jumped as one wooden floorboard creaked. Harry only laughed.

We were at home now. We took a taxi on the way back. Harry's house wasn't that far away anyway. So he offered to drop me off here.

"Well, sure," I grinned.

Harry's smile grew even wider. "Great!"

"You really want me to do my role, eh?"

"Of course. You'll do fantastic. And I don't care about what others say. They're just jealous. The stage will be extremely blessed if you go up there. I believe in you Kyleen."

Wow… That meant a lot, really. I was very touched with what he said. It managed to give me back all of my drained self-confidence.

Who cared about Tatiana anyway? I am going to rock that stage.

"Thanks Harry… Really. That meant a lot," I smiled at him.

Before I could stop myself, I kissed him on the cheek.

As my head moved away from his, I found myself turning scarlet. He was red too.

Did I… actually kiss him?

"Well… uh… Bye Harry!" I said shyly and went inside.

I slapped my forehead as I trudged up the stairs.

"Why the heck did I do that? Why the heck did I do that?" I muttered angrily.

I lay in my bed now, holding my Kipling bag and hugging my pillow.

I was red now, and my heart was racing. Well Kyleen, all of this confusion has one logical answer. And you should stop denying it and finally take that into consideration.

Nah…

In fact, I think that's already the answer.

It's hard to believe but…

I think I'm in love with Harry.

Harry touched the part of his cheek where Kyleen kissed him. He was still a bit pink, and his cheeks burned.

The wind slightly lashed at his cheeks, leaving a somewhat cool sensation on his burning skin.

A lot of things happened. And a majority of them were certainly unexpected. The day was simply magical. Kyleen was magical.

But he never expected that kiss.

He smiled to himself as he strolled his way home, his sneakers lightly rubbing against the pavement.

He knew she could be quite sweet. But he never knew she could be this sweet.

And that just made him fall in love with her even more. Something about her made him want to hug her and never let her go.

Despite being somewhat rough on the outside, she was simply dazzling on the inside. There was no doubt about it.

He grinned as he looked up the gray sky. "I don't know why she did that, but I'm glad she did."


	30. Chapter 30

CHAPTER 29 (MOTHERLY TALK)

I was still confused as I lay curled in my bed. I held my pillow closer to my chest, my cheeks a bit flushed.

I really don't know what to think. When I got up this morning, all I could think of was Harry.

I couldn't get him out of my head. It's like some of my nerve cells have gone haywire and my brain has now been programmed to think of nothing else but Harry.

And guess what?

I've been at this for three hours now.

Yes. Three hours.

180 minutes.

10,800 seconds.

I've been deeply immersed in this thought for that long.

This was just crazy!

But I mean, is this even normal?

Gosh why did I have to fall in love?

I'm betraying Kyle! That's what I'm doing! And I swore that I would never love anyone aside from him! I was supposed to be faithful for Pete's sake!

But at the same time… how can I not fall for Harry?

This is just too confusing.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

"Kyleen?" my mom's voice asked.

"I'm not here," I replied a bit glumly.

I heard her chuckle. "I'm still coming in."

The door swung open and my mom smiled as she made a beeline for me. she sat down beside me. I rolled over to face her.

"Is there anything wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," I shrugged.

"Oh. I can't dismiss it as nothing since it's eleven o' clock and you still haven't eaten breakfast. And I called you four times already."

Eleven o' clock? Have I been cooped up here for that long?

My disease must be far worse than what I thought.

With a sigh, I sat up. "Well mom… I've been thinking… By the way, I'm doing the play after all."

"You are? Whew. Good thing I still had your costume done," she said.

I stared at her. "You did?

"I had a feeling you'd turn around."

I laughed. Mom always anticipated stuff. And she's usually right.

"So… what's your little problem about?" she asked me.

"Harry," I replied.

"Harry? But I thought you two were getting along just fine?"

"No… No… We're getting along great. It's just that… um…. Um…"

Dang it! Why on earth am I being rendered incoherent now? Why can't I even finish my own sentence?

My mom noticed my expression and an understanding smile crossed her face.

"You like him, don't you?" she asked, a sly smile on her face.

I blushed. "N-no! I was about to say something else!"

My mom laughed and pinched my cheek. "Quit denying it, Kyleen. Now tell me the truth. Do you like him?"

Shall I admit defeat? Shall I submit to my mom? Shall I be like all the other girls who spill their secrets to their moms? Shall I finally raise my white flag?

Of course. I'd be a bloody idiot if I didn't do it.

I smiled a bit at mom. "Yeah. I like him mom."

She made an 'awww' sound and hugged me. "My little baby's growing up!"

I groaned. "Mom…"

She let go of me. "Oh. Sorry. Well, there's nothing wrong with that."

"Yes there is! I'm acting weird. And I'm scared he'll reject me."

"Honey, don't be scared. And you still don't know that yet. You're a wonderful girl, any boy would like you. And I'm not saying that just because I'm your mother."

I pondered on this for a while. I guess mom's right. I shouldn't assume things so easily.

And I don't know why, but I'm getting the feeling that Harry likes me too. He was always so sweet to me, and why was he always blushing?

"MOOM!!" Amanda's voice pierced through the room.

"Gotta go honey. And don't worry. I think Harry's changing you. Ever since he came, you have been different. But I do quite like it," she kissed my forehead and went off to attend to Amanda's needs.

I groped my blanket.

I don't need to be scared. Mom's right. Why did I let fear grip me?

I liked Harry. Period. Why should I be scared? Heck, I'm tough. I'm practically a war hero's reincarnation.

And…

I've been thinking about what my mom said… The other thing… And I totally agree…

I think…

No…

I know that Harry's changed me.


	31. Chapter 31

CHAPTER 30 (A DOG)

'It's a bit lonely here at home,' I observed as I looked around.

Sure Amanda was nice company but I wanted something more… playful.

Like a dog perhaps.

I sat on the couch, reading a book about Egyptian structures.

Suddenly, the door burst open. I nearly got thrown off my seat. Good thing I managed to hold on to the couch.

I saw Amanda coming in, looking very frenetic.

"Kyleen! Let's get a dog!" she squealed excitedly.

Wow. My prayers have been answered.

I suddenly noticed a pink flyer in her right hand.

"What's that?" I asked her, pointing to the flyer.

She handed the flyer to me. I read what it said.

'Terrier puppies for sale.'

"Wow! Let's get some!" I said excitedly as I handed her the flyer again.

This is perfect! This was the solution!

Suddenly, dad walked into the house. He was carrying a briefcase and slowly removing his shoes. Amanda approached him and tugged on his sleeve.

"Dad! Can we get a dog?" she asked, jumping about.

"Sure honey," he smiled.

I grinned. Yes! We were going to get a dog!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I finally arrived at the address that the flyer said.

I was now in front of a red house.

Yup. This was it.

I knocked on the door twice. I was wearing some jeans and a pink tee.

Wow. I never thought I'd wear pink someday. Before, it was as deadly as a cross was to a vampire.

As the door swung open, I gasped as I saw who it was.

He had messy brown hair (he must've just woken up) and was wearing pants and a creased green shirt.

"Hey, long time no see," he grinned at me. He yawned.

I laughed. "This is a pleasant surprise."

I never thought that I'd meet Lance again. Things were just busy, but I guess fate has a funny way of doing stuff.

We've been chatting on the internet and stuff, but we haven't really hanged out with each other.

Nevertheless, I could say that we were close friends now.

Right now, we were at his garage, where the puppies were being kept.

They were inside a small cage. They were so cute! Most of them had this shiny brown color. They were all yipping now.

I giggled. I just wanted to take one and squeeze it.

"You never told me you had terriers," I squatted and patted one of the dogs.

He scratched the back of his head. "Well, I never thought it would seem interesting to you."

I moved around the cage, observing each furry dog. They followed me as well as I circled them.

Suddenly, one dog caught my eye.

It was a gray one.

The only gray one.

And it was hiding in one corner, sleeping.

Aw… Poor dog…

Then again, it seemed cuter than these hyper brown ones.

"I want the gray one Lance," I said as I pointed to the dog.

"You sure? The brown ones are more playful," he asked me.

"I have a feeling I'll like him."

Lance slowly extracted the gray terrier from the cage. The dog yawned and its tail began to wag. It opened its cute beady eyes and blinked.

Aw!! That was so cute!

"Here you go," Lance grinned as he handed me the dog.

I carefully cradled it in my arms. It yawned as I scratched it behind the ears.

"Aw… He's adorable," I gushed as I played with one of its paws.

"So, what're you gonna name him?" Lance asked me.

I was in deep thought now.

How about…

Crusher?

Nah. It's way too cute for that.

Joker?

Yeah right Kyleen.

BATMAN!!!

Now that is just plain weird.

How about…

Hawk Girl?

Yeah. Except it's not a hawk. And it's not even a girl.

After fussing over which name I wanted, I finally came up with the perfect name.

Yes. This should suit him nicely.

"Destroyer!" I grinned.

Lance eyed me dubiously. "You sure about that? This dog's way more innocent than a crippled fly."

"Yeah? What's wrong with that? Right? You're a cute widdle Destroyer," I cooed to the dog. It licked my nose as I brought it to my face.

Aha. It's a sign that he likes it!

Lance chuckled. "Nah. Whatever you say."

I grinned. "Thanks. You know what, I missed you Lance."

"Huh? Haha. Oh yeah right Kyleen. We just bumped into the grocery store a few weeks ago."

"Well, it seems long to me. Besides, I missed your company."

He smiled. He looked touched with what I said.

"Kyleen, put the dog down," he said.

Put the dog down? Oh well.

I obeyed him and carefully put down Destroyer. The dog scurried away and explored the area.

Lance approached me; he was only a few inches away from me now.

"Lance?" I started when he suddenly hugged me.

Tightly.

I was only silent.

What was going on?

Why was he hugging me?

"Lance?" I repeated once more, a shocked tone to my voice.

He laughed and suddenly pecked my cheek. Then he hit my head really hard. "I missed you too idiot!"

I yelped and rubbed my head. "Hey! What was that for?!"

He chuckled once more. "Kyleen, I care about you a lot. You know that? I wouldn't let anything harm you."

I was only silent. I didn't know what to say. At all.

It seemed like he liked me. There was no other explanation.

But…

I had a nagging feeling that that's not it.

"Come with me to my room," he smiled and held my hand.

I stared back at him.

Oh my gosh.

Should I say yes? Or should I say no?

Yes?

No?

Isn't maybe an option too?

Could I trust him? Wasn't he planning something awful or perverted?

But…

Something tells me that he wasn't going to do that. Lance would never do that. I know him.

With a sigh I said "Sure Lance."

Gosh. I do hope I don't regret this.


	32. Chapter 32

CHAPTER 31 ( COMPARISONS)

"Your room's… surprisingly tidy," I said as I went inside his room.

The bed was made, his books were piled neatly on top of a table, and I saw my photos pinned on the wall.

I paled a bit.

Was this still a good idea?

"You have good pictures. So I kept them," he said as I began staring at his collection of… well… me.

This… was awkward.

Maybe I should make a run for the door now.

However, I couldn't bring myself to do that.

Lance began looking for something on his desk. I sat on his bed and continued looking around. I was feigning interest.

The truth was, I was still deciding whether I should leave or not. I'm getting a bit creeped out here. What if Lance tries something on me? What if-?

All of a sudden, his arm was on my shoulder.

"Eeeekk!!!" I screamed.

I knew it! I bloody knew it!! He was going tot try something!! I should've gone!! I--!!!

"Kyleen, calm down. Jeez. I was about to show you a photo," he said, a perplexed expression on his face.

I finally shut up. I turned red. "O-of course. Sorry."

How dumb I could I get?

He showed me a photograph. He looked very eager to show it to me.

I looked at it. It was the portrait of a brown-haired girl. And…

Is that Lance behind her?

"Lance… is this your sister?" I guessed.

Of course…

I get it now…

"Yup," he said and moved closer to me. Suddenly, the bed creaked loudly.

"Ooh. Someone's getting heavier," I teased him.

He stuck his tongue out at me. "Whatever. You're so obese, the earth stood still."

"Oh yeah? You're so obese, you killed Shamu when you sat on her!"

"You're so obese, the earthquake you caused cannot be measure by the Richter scale!"

"You're so obese, a black hole couldn't suck you!"

We paused for a while. Then we laughed at the same time.

Jeez. This was why I missed Lance.

Lance looked at the photo once more.

"So… What's the story?" I asked him.

"Easy. You remind me of her," he said.

I fell silent, waiting for him to elaborate some more.

"She died in a car accident… She was eight, I was eleven" he said, a woeful tone layering his voice.

I gasped.

Oh my gosh…

She would've been Amanda's age by now.

"I'm really sorry Lance," I whispered.

I wish I could say something to comfort him…

He laughed a bit. "Nah… It's fine. It's kind of nice to see her in you. You're so much alike. The way you talk, the way you walk, the way you move… You'd be surprised, she was a tomboy too before."

"Really?"

He nodded. "Really. A comic freak too. You two couldn't be more the same. I just wanted to tell you that I saw my sister in you. That's why I started to care about you."

I looked at the portrait. We're alike?

"But, you're sort of different in your own way. And I like you because you're you, not because you're like… Sandy… Take care of yourself, okay?" he said as he messed up my hair.

"Hey!" I exclaimed and laughed as I swatted his hand away.

"Take care of yourself always. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you," he smiled.

I grinned at him.

This was nice.

He didn't 'like' like me. He saw me as a little sister that he had to protect. I'm glad that's what happened.

Things would be so complicated if he had romantic feelings for me.

"I see you like a guy named Harry," she said all of a sudden.

A jolt of electricity shot through me as I faced him, my cheeks reddening to the shade of a tomato.

"What?! How did…" I sputtered,

How the heck did he know that??

Was he psychic??? I never told him!!

He must be an alien!!!

He rolled his eyes. "You really shouldn't write down things that you don't want other people to see. You dropped this at the grocery when we met a few weeks ago."

He pulled out a rolled piece of paper. I gulped as I saw it.

Dang it…

I knew I shouldn't have doodled Harry's name.

"Here," he said and handed me the rolled piece of paper.

I stuffed it into my pocket. I was turning scarlet now.

Jeez. That was one way to die socially.

"He must be nice if you like him. I'd like to meet him someday. I wonder what he looks like though," Lance smiled at me.

"Oh! You should! You two would get along fine! He's lovely," I replied, my cheeks turning red.

I liked that idea. Maybe I could fix these two up. I'd definitely love it if they both met. I'm sure they'll be the best of friends.

"You can. Could you come this Friday?" I asked Lance.


	33. Chapter 33

CHAPTER 32 (DARK REUNION: OLD ENEMIES)

"Kyleen!! That's so great!!" Trisha squealed as she hugged me tightly. The shelves nearly rattled as she did so.

A few people looked at us curiously. In the end, they decided to go back to reading their books.

"Ssh… Trisha… This is a library," Marie hissed, although she was laughing a bit herself.

"Oops! Sorry," Trisha said and let go of me.

I inhaled tankfuls of oxygen.

Trisha grinned sheepishly and whispered. "I'm just so happy you know. Aw… No wonder she's turning into a woman!"

Trisha pinched my cheeks and laughed as well.

I rolled my eyes and grinned. "Trishaa…"

"In any case, we're glad you've changed. Different, but I'm digging it," Marie

smiled.

"Have you asked him out for the prom?" Trisha asked me, her eyes twinkling.

"Prom?" I asked blankly.

I never thought about prom.

In fact, before, I dreaded prom. I never wanted to wear a poofy dress and high heels.

I wasn't even sure if a guy would ask me out.

In fact, I even thought about wearing a suit to prom. So I'd be different. And I'd go alone. No way did I want to dance.

Eeecckk…

But now…

I guess I could wear a gown… For Harry…

If he'd tell me I'd look pretty in it, I'd wear it for him.

In fact, I think I even daydreamed about him being my prom date. I daydreamed about being in a… a… a… a…

Oh fine.

I'll admit it.

I actually daydreamed about being in a nice…

No, not pink.

Blue gown and dancing with Harry.

It would be a dream come true.

"Um… No," I told Trisha, returning one fallen book to the shelf.

Hm… It's about ancient civilizations in the Pacific Islands. Maybe I'll borrow it next time.

"Well then, ask him," Trisha urged.

I stared at her. "Me? Ask him? Aren't boys supposed to do that?"

"Well, you never know. And besides, it might be a nice twist."

I thought about this for a while.

It's certainly different, but I guess I could do it.

And I really, really wanted Harry to be my prom date.

"Oh fine. I guess I'll ask him later," I smiled.

Trisha clapped her hands. "Sweet!"

"Excellent," Marie grinned.

And because of the noise we made, we were chucked out of the library.

Finally, dismissal came. The students hurried out of their classrooms, eager to take a well-deserved break after the long hours at school.

I walked outside, looking for Harry. I peered over the heads of so many students before finally finding him.

I ran towards him and gave his shoulder a little squeeze. "Hey Harry."

He turned and smiled at me. "Hey Kyleen."

Oh gosh.

There goes my heart again. It's beating in rhythms that a normal heart rate shouldn't.

But I couldn't help it… I was with Harry.

"Listen, I'd really like you to meet a friend of mine. Today. You don't mind?" I said as I looked up at him.

Gosh. I only realized this now but Harry is very, very tall. Like a mountain. I even had to look up just to see his face clearly.

"Sure Kyleen," he replied.

"Yes! Thanks!" I said.

I crossed my fingers.

Okay. Time to ask him the big question now.

"Um… Harry… would you-?" I started when somebody interrupted me.

"Kyleeeennn!!!" a voice called me.

I turned around and smiled.

Though he did interrupt me from popping the question, I didn't mind. He was supposed to come at this time.

"Hey Lance," I grinned at him.

He was wearing a cap today and a nice, white shirt.

"Hello. Where's your friend?" he asked as his eyes wandered around the place.

"Oh. He's here. Lance, meet Harry. Harry, meet Lance," I said as I made Lance face Harry.

Lance's once warm smile evaporated. He frowned a bit as he saw Harry.

Harry's expression was the same. He raised an eyebrow as he and Lance made eye contact.

I looked at them, perplexed as to why they were both acting this way.

Was this the same as when animals wanted to defend their own territory?

"Hello, pervert," Lance said, much to my surprise.

"Huh?!" I said, looking at Harry.

Harry looked angry now. "I'm not a pervert! You reckless thug. Kyleen, he's a delinquent! Don't go near him!" Harry said as he pulled me.

Lance pulled me all of a sudden as well. "Ha! You're the one who barged into the girls' locker room. Pervert!"

"It was your fault!!"

"Wait!!" I cried out.

They both stopped and looked at me.

"Let me get this straight, you guys know each other?" I asked them.

"Yes," Harry answered tersely.

"And we didn't get along," Lance replied coldly.

Oh no…

This is so not good…

This was supposed to be a really friendly meeting of two of my best guy friends!

I didn't expect to reunite two enemies!

Greeaaatt.

"Um… Well… If you don't want to go out together… We can cancel…" I stared when Harry and Lance interrupted me.

"No. It's perfectly fine. Just don't trust this pervert," Lance smiled and glared at Harry menacingly.

"Yes. We'll be fine. Just don't go near him or you'll end up in a coma!" Harry grinned and eyed Lance malevolently.

Judging by their insistency, they weren't going to change their minds.

I might as well agree…

"You sure?" I asked them.

"Positive," they both said at the same time.

I had a nagging feeling though that things weren't going to go smoothly.


	34. Chapter 34

CHAPTER 33 (CHERRIES)

Aaah… Now I get it.

Lance and Harry were old classmates. One day, Harry defeated Lance in a fight during P.E. Lance became bitter afterwards. It was Harry's fault too. He mocked poor Lance for a week before Lance got his revenge. Lance pushed Harry into the girls' locker room while the girls were changing. As a result, Harry was beaten up to a pulp and had a fever afterwards.

After that, they just didn't get along.

Even until high school.

Even until now.

'He's planning to steal her away from me!' Harry thought angrily as he smiled at me.

I was busy ordering our food.

Could I get a chill pill for these two?

Lance was smiling as well, avoiding Harry's enraged gaze.

Though he was smiling, he was thinking bitterly.

'I won't let this perv get his hands on her,' he thought.

"Guys?" I asked.

No answer.

"Guys?" I asked once more, my voice louder now.

The two snapped back to reality, finally halting their staring game.

"Oh. Sorry. What were you saying Kyleen?" Harry asked me.

"Well… I was just asking you what your orders were," I said and showed them the menu.

Lance looked at it. "I'll just have chocolate ice cream."

Harry made a tut-tut sound. "Ah… Letting yourself go, eh? No wonder you look like a pig now."

Lance looked annoyed but then smirked. "Hm… Are you growing smaller Harry? Last time I checked, you were taller than me."

I looked at Harry and gasped. "Oh. Lance is taller Harry!"

Harry frowned. "Er… Er… I'll have mocha!"

Lance smiled contemptuously. Jeez. I can't believe these guys.

"I'll have a strawberry ice cream," I smiled at the waiter.

I scanned the area.

A lot of people were in this ice cream parlor. A few were couples. I even saw one pair sipping on one milkshake.

Before, I'd think that was gross. Disgusting even.

Now though, I think I was even daydreaming about Harry and I sharing a milkshake.

A hand propped under my chin and my mouth slowly curled into a smile.

Oh gosh.

I never thought the day would come when I'd actually daydream about a guy.

Least of all, Harry.

A finger suddenly snapped in front of me.

I finally came to and realized that it was Lance. He was smiling at me.

"Hey, you daydreaming?" he chuckled as he pinched my cheek.

I laughed and stuck out my tongue at him. "Yeah right Lance. And I did not daydream."

"Yes you were."

"No I wasn't."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No.

"Yeah… Ouch!!"

I looked at Lance. He was rubbing his foot.

What just happened?

"Lance, anything wrong?" I asked him worriedly.

He grinned at me. "Nothing, nothing."

I don't know why but Harry's smiling.

'Except that stupid Harry kicked me!' Lance thought heatedly.

Harry was smiling to himself. 'Sorry. But it was getting annoying.'

I blinked at Harry and eyed him suspiciously. He only smiled and shrugged.

Finally, our orders came.

The ice creams were topped with sprinkles, whipped cream and shiny, luscious cherries.

"Here you go," the waiter said as he placed the orders on our table.

I smiled, delighted.

Woow! This looks really yummy!

We began digging into our orders.

Mmm…

Thank God there was ice cream.

I surveyed the area once more.

Suddenly, a blond-haired boy looked at me and winked.

Pathetic.

I rolled my eyes and continued eating my ice cream.

Pervert.

Creep.

I still got the feeling that he was constantly and irritatingly looking at me.

Finally, the only things left in our cups were the cherries.

My mind suddenly flickered to life. An idea had sparked inside my mind.

"Guys, can you tie a cherry with your tongue?" I asked them as I poked my cherry with a spoon.

"Sure! I've done it a lot of times," Harry grinned.

"Yeah. It's pretty easy," Lance shrugged.

"Woow. I've never tried it before," I said, amazed that they could do it.

"Here. I'll tie mine," Harry said as he popped his cherry into his mouth and started tying it.

"Me too," Lance said as he also popped his cherry into his mouth.

"Ooh. Cool," I said excitedly.

A few seconds had passed by now and the two were still at it.

Hm…

If I didn't know any better I'd say that these two were having a hard time.

I looked at them once more.

Boy were they struggling a lot now.

"Guys, if you can't tie it, it's perfectly fine," I told them as I held up my hands.

"Don't be silly Kyleen, we can do this," Harry said.

"Yeah. We're just out of our zone for now," Lance added.

I shrugged, knowing how stubborn these two could get.

"Fine," I said.

I stared at my very own untouched cherry.

Maybe I could try tying my cherry. It seemed kind of hard, but maybe it would be fun.

I popped the cherry into my mouth and began tying it.

I've been focusing a lot on how I'd tie it.

Five seconds had passed…

Ten…

Fifteen…

"I've got it!" I exclaimed excitedly as I stuck my tongue out.

And there lay the cherry, perfectly tied in a knot.

"WHAT??" both Lance and Harry exclaimed.

Wow!

I can't believe I actually managed to tie it. I never thought that I could. But I've proven myself wrong today. And I even did it before Harry and Lance could.

The two chuckled, completely amazed.

"Okay. I give up," Lance said as he placed his cherry inside a tissue paper.

Harry did the same and smiled at me. "Good job Kyleen. You beat me."

I chuckled. "Well, it's a fluke."

Suddenly, I had the urge to go to the comfort room.

I had to pee now.

"Guys, I gotta go pee," I smiled at them and stood up. They nodded and smiled at me.

I was walking slowly towards the comfort room now.

I looked behind me and froze as I saw what was happening.

The perv who was eyeing me a while ago was now standing up and it seemed like he was following me.

I quickened my pace, nearly bumping into a child as I did so.

I have to get to the women's comfort room!

NOW!


	35. Chapter 35

CHAPTER 34 (HARASSMENT)

Okay Kyleen. Simply calm down.

If you just look forward, you won't be able to give him the satisfaction that he's scared you and he can totally convince you into doing what he wants.

Keep.

Looking.

Forward.

I was trying my best not to panic now. I was only a few meters away from the women's comfort room.

Okay.

So when I get in there, things are going to be safe.

The women's comfort room was my sanctuary now. It's going to act as an impregnable shield against that pervert. Duh. No way would he walk inside the women's comfort room.

I could still hear footsteps behind me.

I nearly lunged myself at the door as I hurriedly got in. I shut the door close and gave out a huge sigh as I got in.

A middle-aged lady with platinum blond hair was looking at me curiously.

"All right dear?" she asked me in a worried tone.

"Uh… Yeah. I'm fine," I nodded.

I went inside one cubicle and did my business there.

Okayyy. I think the guy's gone now. I'm safe. I have this fortress to protect me and it's the most powerful protection anyone could ever give me.

Thank God people thought that the segregation of genders was vital.

He can't harm me here.

Finally, I went out.

I was smiling now.

I opened the faucet, got some orange liquid soap and began washing my hands carefully.

I don't have to be worried now. I'm safe. Very safe.

I was humming a tune to myself when the door suddenly opened.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What are you up to?" Harry hissed at Lance.

Lance only rolled his eyes in reply. Harry groaned.

"Come on, are you making a move on her?" Harry asked him in a dark tone.

Lance raised an eyebrow. "What the bloody hell do you mean?"

Harry slumped back to his chair. "Oh! I know what you're doing! You're going to make Kyleen fall for you dude! That's what you're doing!"

Lance gave him a what-on-earth-are-you-talking-about look. Harry was still suspicious though.

"Wait. Wait. Wait. Hold up. I don't 'like' like Kyleen. Okay? I love her as a 'sister'," Lance said.

Harry started to calm down a bit.

Sister?

Really?

He wasn't planning on courting her or anything?

He wasn't planning to sweep her off her feet?

"Tried anything on her, perv?" Lance asked.

"N-no. Of course not. I wouldn't do anything to her like that… You sure you don't wanna court her or something?" Harry asked.

Lance shook his head. "No."

"Really?" Harry asked blankly.

Lance let out a snort. "Yeah. Really."

"Oh."

The two fell silent. Somehow, the tension between them eased up a bit.

"Wait. Kyleen's been gone for a while. Maybe we should check on her," Harry said as he stood up.

He looks worried, Lance observed.

Maybe he really does care a lot for Kyleen.

"Fine. Let's go," Lance agreed and the two went off to search for the missing girl who was the most precious to them.

I don't bloody believe it.

But it's happening right in front of me now!

The perv who was eyeing me a while ago was actually entering the place!

Here in the women's comfort room!

I froze as I saw him enter. My blood was boiling now.

Has he no shame?!

"Good lord! Boy! Get out of here!" the middle-aged lady began to say.

"Shut up, old hag," he threatened her.

The old lady fussed some more but decided to leave the place.

I wanted to scream 'STAY FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!' as she went off.

I looked at the guy once more. He was smiling at me. I backed off.

"You're pretty cute," he said.

"Shut up!" I snapped and tried to get past him but then he blocked my way.

Dang it!

If I were Superman, I'd send him flying to the next dimension!

"Ugh! Let me pass!" I demanded, my fists shaking.

"Give me your number first," he grinned at me as I fruitlessly tried to get past him.

"Let me pass you ignorant walrus face!!"

All of a sudden, he kissed my cheek quickly. I gasped as he did so. He smiled at me.

"Calm down," he said.

What the heck???? Why did he do that??? Uuuggh!!!

"LET ME PASS!!!" I screamed at him as I rubbed my cheek.

Eew… Eew… Eew…

Gross… Gross… Gross…

"Hey! Let her go jerk!" a voice said and the perv was pulled away.

It was Harry!

And Lance was with him!

They've come to save me!

"What's your problem-?" the guy started when Lance suddenly punched him square in the face.

The guy was squatting now, rubbing his face.

Hah!

He deserved that!

"Stay away from her!" Harry said and punched him in the nose.

Oh my gosh!

Harry defended me!

I feel like I could faint now!

If this is what it felt like to be a damsel in distress, I'm surprisingly loving it.

The perv finally decided to just run away and he hurriedly scurried outside.

Lance and Harry were huffing now. Harry especially. He looked absolutely angry.

"Kyleen, you okay?" Lance asked me worriedly as he checked me.

I nodded. "I'm fine. Thanks to you guys. I seriously cannot believe that perv."

To my surprise, Harry suddenly hugged me tightly.

My heart began to throb violently as his warm arms enveloped me. I felt like it was throbbing at the speed of light.

Harry… Harry…

I wish I could tell you I do like you…

But I can't…

Because my tongue feels like it's been cut off…

Dang it.

Why was I so shy?

"I was so worried. I'll skin that perv alive. I'm so relieved we got here on time," Harry said as he hugged me.

Okay.

My heart's not throbbing anymore.

Because it's already exploded!

Aw Harry!!

As Lance observed us, he couldn't help but feel that his grudge towards Harry evaporate. He saw how much he cared about me.

Maybe he was a good guy after all.

Lance chuckled to himself.

'Kyleen must be loving this,' he mused.

I looked at Lance, totally red in the face. He only winked back at me.

This was the best day of my life!


	36. Chapter 36

CHAPTER 35 (SHOW)

This is the worst day of my life!!!

I was trembling as my cold fingers peered through the curtains.

It wasn't show time yet but I could already feel the heavy pressure.

And it is simply crushing me.

I pursed my lips.

Oops! I'd better be careful! I might ruin my lipstick!

I let go of the curtains and went to the backstage once more.

Is it me or was I feeling abnormally cold?

Dang!

My fingertips were icy cold.

I sighed.

Maybe my nervousness was making my body absorb the coldness around much faster.

Jeez.

If I kept on getting more nervous, then I might have a frost bite pretty soon.

Someone suddenly tapped me on the shoulder. I squeaked and turned around.

"Jeez. Calm down," Danny grinned at me.

I rolled my eyes ad grinned. I flung my arms around him and moaned. "Daanny! I'm scared!!"

He chuckled. "Yeah. 'Coz you have a hundred percent chance of screwing this up."

I slapped his head. "You're not making me feel better!"

"Kidding! You'll do fine Kyleen!"

I sighed as I let go of him. "I hope so."

Wow. I never thought I'd actually hug Danny someday. The idea seemed despicable to me before and I wouldn't touch him even if I had a ten-foot pole.

But we were close friends now. And he even got Dominique.

Duh. He was charming enough to get any girl that he wanted. It came easy to him.

But he did seem pretty serious about Dominique.

I hope they'll stay together for a long time.

"Kyleen, you ready?" he smiled at me, his dimple showing.

Gosh that dimple of his was cute.

Tom and I were pretty tight now too. We'd walk to school together at times and he'd recommend me really cool books.

"Yup," I answered.

"Here. Have a Skittle," Dougie grinned as he offered me his pack of Skittles.

"Dude. That diet of yours can kill you someday," Danny frowned.

Dougie shrugged as he popped a green Skittle into his mouth. "It's yummy. I can't help it."

I laughed and plucked one Skittle from his pack. Dougie cracks me up. Seriously.

"Thanks Dougie," I said and ate the Skittle.

Finally, I was gradually calming down.

These guys were awesome. They were definitely my best friends now. I loved them.

Trisha and Marie finally came. They were the directors of the play.

Dougie pecked Trisha's cheek as she arrived.

Aw… That was sweet.

I wish Harry and I could be like that.

Stop it Kyleen!

I mentally slapped myself.

This is not the time to daydream.

"You look spectacular," Marie smiled as she saw me.

"Stellar," Trisha added.

I grinned at them. "Thanks."

I had light make up on and I was wearing a cute Chinese dress for the first scene.

And I had to admit, the wonderful colors of the dress did wonders for me. My hair was tied up in a bun and a yellow flower was pinned to it.

I can't wait for Harry to see me!

Which reminds me.

Where is Harry?

I scanned the backstage but he clearly was not here. I wondered where he could be right now.

Suddenly, Danny's phone rang. "Hello? Harry?"

My ears pricked.

"Oh. Okay dude," Danny said and ended the call. He carefully slid his phone in his pocket.

"What did he say?" Tom asked.

"He's gonna be a bit late. Something happened." Danny replied.

"What happened?" Dougie asked.

Danny shrugged. "I have no idea."

I felt a stone drop inside my stomach.

Something happened to Harry?

I was sitting on a crate, my hands intertwined with each other.

Harry still wasn't here.

And the show's about to start in fifteen minutes.

Trisha and Marie had been very calm about the situation. But I could tell that they were getting worried now too. Danny kept on assuring them that Harry would come soon.

I knew he'd come. I had a strong feeling about that.

I just hoped that nothing serious happened to him.

Suddenly, a bandaged hand placed itself on my shoulder. I snapped out of my dazed state and swivelled around to see who owned the injured hand.

It was Harry.

I stood up and sighed in relief.

He was finally here.

"Harry! You're finally here," I smiled at him.

He grinned at me. "Of course."

"What happened to your hand?" I pointed to his bandaged hand.

He flexed his hand. "Ah. I was cooking. I wasn't careful, so I cut myself. But I'm fine now. I'll live."

"Be careful next time," I said.

Little did I know that he accidentally cut himself because he was daydreaming about me.

"Well, I'd better get changed now. Good luck," he grinned at me.

I nodded. "Thanks. You too Harry."

He was walking away now when he turned around and grinned at me. "By the way, you look beautiful tonight."

And that made my heart explode for the second time.

The play was going very smoothly now. The crowd looked excited as the play started and so far, I didn't see anyone sleeping. They all seemed eager to pay attention to our play.

Right now, we were at the scene where Shang starts to train the soldiers.

I was face to face with Harry now, a long stick in my hand.

"Okay. Hit me," he commanded.

We did our choreographed fighting scene. Okay. Going very well now.

Gosh I loved the role of Mulan. She gets to kick butt and save China. And she does it on boys' clothing!

Suddenly, I hit Harry's injured hand.

"Ouch!" he exclaimed.

I gasped. "Sorry."

Dang it. Kyleen you clumsy fool!

The crowd flinched as Harry cried out.

Harry suddenly cleared his throat. "You've made a mistake. Never show mercy to the enemy."

I gave out a sigh of relief.

Yes.

Harry saved me.

"Right sir!" I responded.

He flexed his hand and winced a bit.

'Sorry,' I mouthed at him.

He only smiled at me. 'It's okay.'

Aw Harry…..

Finally, we were at the last scene where Shang and Mulan were reunited after Mulan totally kicked the butts of the Huns!

I loved Mulan. Seriously.

Pink petals were falling down from above and the crowd oohed and aahed as the stage was dotted with pink flowers.

I turned to my right and Harry was there.

I gasped (yes, a girly little gasp which I'd never thought I'd do) and rushed to meet him.

I hugged him. "You came!"

"Of course!" he grinned.

The crowd went 'awww'.

"Mulan, will you marry me?" he asked.

"Yes Har-, I mean, Shang! Yes!" I squealed.

Okay. For a moment, I thought that it was real and I nearly said 'Harry'.

The audience clapped. A lot of them were cheering now.

Wow.

I'm glad I didn't suck.

And I didn't ruin the play after all!

"I didn't destroy the play!" I whispered to Harry.

He chuckled. "Of course. You didn't. You were wonderful."

"Thanks Harry."

I looked at him. I felt lost in his beautiful eyes. My heart throbbed once more. My cheeks turned red.

Harry looked red as well.

We stared at each other, absolutely transfixed.

All of a sudden, his face inched closer to mine. I blinked.

This was not in the script!

The crowd grew silent now, intrigued by our twist.

I could only stare at Harry. I was immobile. I didn't know what I should do.

Would he?

Will he?

Could he?

Finally, my questions were answered as his lips brushed against mine. I closed my eyes as he kissed me tenderly.

The crowd cheered even more. In fact, I think they even got louder.

Wow…

I never thought I'd get to actually kiss a boy…

And having Harry kiss me felt like…

Heaven…

Finally, he broke off our kiss. I was blushing even more now. He was blushing too.

"And that's the end of Mulan!" the narrator announced and the crown cheered even more.

The curtains finally closed on is, and Harry and I still weren't breaking eye contact.

I still couldn't believe that we…

That we…

That we kissed.

"Kyleen! Don't slap me! I'm sorry! I don't know what came over me!" Harry apologized.

I smiled at him, my cheeks still burning. "N-no. It's okay Harry. It's… I understand."

We were both blushing so much now. Usually, we were very comfortable with each other. But right now, things seemed awkward.

Duh. I mean… After… that…

"But… That's okay Harry. I'm… sort of glad I had my first kiss with you," I smiled at him.

He looked surprised. "Really?"

I nodded. "Yup. At least it was… it was… well, it was fine."

He smiled. "That's… great…"

Suddenly, somebody slapped Harry's back. "You cheeky little devil!"

It was Danny. Dougie and Tom were here too. They were laughing as well.

Harry only rolled his eyes and winked at me.

As I lay in bed, I couldn't help but replay that scene in my head.

How he inched closer to me…

How he kissed…

Uugh! Stop it Kyleen!

I rolled over and looked at my clock.

Great. Simply great.

It's eleven o' clock now.

I still couldn't go to sleep.

Still, I loved the night.

Correction: Today was the best day of my life.


	37. Chapter 37

CHAPTER 36 (PLAY DATE)

"Amanda, who's coming over again?" I asked Amanda as I looked up from my book.

I was curled up in the sofa, wearing a Star Wars shirt and men's boxer shorts.

So my fashion sense hasn't been totally converted yet.

"Um… Megan and her friend Christine. They'll stay until six here. Mom and Dad said that it was okay," Amanda replied as she continued coloring her drawings. She was lying on the floor on her belly.

Aw… How cute!

"Is that a cow?" I smiled at her, pointing to her drawing.

She pouted. "No… It's supposed to be a dragon!" .Then she began to color it more furiously.

I stared at her in disbelief and looked at her drawing more carefully.

But it…

But I'm sure that…

I mean, come on! Just look at the figure!

Amanda looked like she wanted to cry.

Oh gosh Kyleen. How could you be so stupid?

"Oh! Sorry Amanda! Yes, it's a dragon… I… Can't see very well," I told her hurriedly before she could start throwing a fit.

"Hmph," she groaned and continued coloring the cow… Er… I mean the dragon.

I sighed and went back to reading my book.

I suddenly saw the name 'Harry' scribbled on one page.

I paused.

Harry…

I still couldn't forget about last night. And now I'm extremely shy towards it. I have absolutely no clue as to what I should do I ever see him again.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Hm… It must be Megan and Christine already.

"I'll get it," I said, carefully bounding off the sofa and standing up.

I approached the door and opened it.

"Hello Christine and Meg-" I began to say when I was stunned into silence. I blushed.

OH!

MY!

FREAKIN'!

GOSH!

Why did he have to be here????

I was rooted to the spot as Harry looked at me, shocked as well. He was particularly staring at my shorts.

Why now?!

Why now when I'm wearing a dorky shirt and men's boxer shirts?!

Two kids passed me by and squealed as they approached Amanda. I didn't mind them though. I was thinking of a way to get away from this.

"Um… Um… Let me go change Harry," I said and hurriedly went upstairs.

"Yeah. You do that…" Harry said as he entered the house.

"You didn't tell me Harry was coming!" I hissed at Amanda as I made my way towards the room.

She clapped her hands to her mouth. "Oops! Sorry! I totally forgot that Megan was brining her big brother!"

I only rolled my eyes and decided that the faster I change, the less humiliating this would be.

Why oh why did I wear boxers today?

Oh snap.

I forgot that I never wore women's shorts before. So I was always wearing men's boxers. Why didn't I buy any?

Jeez.

I went downstairs (properly wearing an attire that consisted of a shirt and pants) and decided to finally show up.

Amanda had a videotape camera in her hands. She squealed as she saw me. "Perfect Kyleen! You can be the princess for our movie!"

My jaw dropped. "Princess? Are you kidding me?"

"I'm afraid she's serious," I heard Harry say.

I turned to him and immediately laughed.

He was wrapped in blankets which were supposed to be his cape and he wore a messy crown made out of construction paper.

He just looked plain funny.

"Harry!" I said, still laughing very hard.

Oh. I this keeps up I'm going to have an asthma attack!

Harry pinched me and chuckled. "Shut up. You're gonna look worse."

I stopped laughing instantaneously.

Oh dear. I was going to be the princess.

I turned around and saw that Amanda had gotten a few gleaming cloths now and she was smiling.

"Please?" she begged me.

"No," I said automatically.

"Oh. She'll say yes Amanda," Harry said and whipped out my keychain.

I gasped. "Give that back!"

Why didn't I take that keychain back??

Amanda grinned at me. "So, will you do it?"

I turned to Harry. "You're evil."

He only laughed.

I sighed. "Fine Amanda. I'll do it."

"Princess! You've awoken from the spell!" Harry said dramatically as I sat up on the sofa.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Amanda! This is stupid!"

"No it's not! And keep on going! I'm shooting a movie here!" Amanda snapped and continued recording our scene.

"Fine. Yes Prince! I am here!" I said.

I could see Megan and Christine squeal.

Gosh they were so cute! And tiny as well! I can't believe they're Amanda's age. They seemed younger than her. They were like three feet tall. But Megan was definitely smaller.

"Very good! Harry. Carry her!" Megan cheered.

"Okay sis!" Harry replied and began carrying me.

I nearly screamed since Harry was carrying me roughly. Good thing I only squealed a bit.

"Haha. Made you scream," Harry grinned.

He did that on purpose!

I only laughed and stuck my tongue at him. "Whatever Harry!"

We both laughed.

For a while, we just stared into each other. I could feel my heart go beating once more at an irregular pace.

"H-Harry… I… I…" I started to say when I suddenly felt shy. I was blushing now.

"What Kyleen?" he asked me.

Great Kyleen! You just had to start blabbing! Now he's gonna demand an answer from you!

"Um… Nothing," I lamely said.

Gosh that was pathetic.

He only chuckled. "Well, okay."

"Kiss her!" Christine squealed.

We both turned very red. We exchanged glances, wondering what we should do.

"Okay," Harry finally said.

"What???" I exclaimed.

"A peck on the cheek."

I blinked a few times. "Oh. Okay."

"Go on!" Amanda said as she held the video cam.

Harry's face inched closer to mine and…

I suddenly sneezed.

"Aw Kyleen!" Amanda groaned.

Harry laughed as I rubbed my nose.

"Sorry," I said.

"Here," Harry said and gave a swift peck on my cheek.

My heart didn't explode this time.

It imploded.

The three girls squealed as Harry gently lowered me down. I was still looking into his wonderful blue eyes.

"Yehey! Good job you two! Sis! I like him! Make him your boyfriend!" Amanda beamed at me.

I flushed. "Amanda!"

Harry chuckled.

Then again…

He'd make a wonderful boyfriend…

Right?

"What time is it?" Christine asked.

"Six," Megan replied.

"Oh."

Suddenly, Christine came to me and took my hand and placed it against her forehead. I could only look at her, absolutely flummoxed as to what she was doing. She did the same odd procedure with Harry. He shot me a confused look as well.

"Um… What are you doing?" Megan asked as soon as Christine was done.

"Oh. It's a Filipino tradition. At six o' clock, we do 'mano'. We do it towards the elderly people as a sign of respect," Christine explained.

Harry and I exchanged looks.

Elderly??

We were only fifteen for Pete's sake!

I saw that Megan and Amanda were laughing but Christine just looked confused.

After a while, they had to go. It was six o' clock after all. I bade them goodbye.

Megan and Christine were so cute! They were like Munchkins! Only cuter!

Harry and I gave each other a swift but really nice goodbye as we parted ways.

As he walked away, I suddenly realized something.

Dang it.

I forgot to take my keychain from him.


	38. Chapter 38

CHAPTER 37 (PARTY)

It's Kyle Bismarck's birthday within a few days.

I've been excited. In fact, I could barely contain my joy. You could tie it up, place it in a high security prison cell, have it chained and padlocked, and even have crocodiles surrounding it and it would still get out.

Yup! I just looooooooovvvveeeeddd Kyle Bismarck that much! My love for him could be expressed in multi-dimensional proportions.

Well, I know that I did like Harry a lot.

But that certainly didn't wipe out my huge obsession over Kyle Bismarck!

Every year, we'd (me, Marie and Trisha) would celebrate Kyle's birthday. It was a small party, but certainly fun. We'd bring over little cakes and some soft drinks.

I actually wanted to invite the whole class but that would be too expensive and I'd be in a financial crisis at the young age of fifteen.

I was currently at home, flipping through the magazines that featured Kyle's band called 'Thriller'. They're an awesome band and they've certainly reached major popularity now. As in their popularity level was off the scale.

Hm…

I think I miss their music now…

I'm gonna go to the place I always go to whenever I want to experience the Thriller's music peacefully and completely.

The park.

The park here was pretty much quiet. Only a few people ever came here.

I was one of the minorities.

I sat on a bench, ear phones plugged to my ears as I looked at the bright sun's rays that were kissing the surface of the earth.

Suddenly, my skin pricked. In a good way.

The song was getting to Kyle's part. I hummed along to the lyrics.

I loved this song so much.

I looked around the park once more. Gosh this place was a bit creepy. It's just so… empty here. Really.

All of a sudden, a pair of hands slapped my shoulder.

I screamed and jumped off the bench.

OH MY GOSH!!!! There's a ghost!!!

I swivelled around and my racing heart began to decelerate as I saw who it was.

Why that little devil…

"Hello Kyleen Nieves Marloes," Harry grinned at me.

I rolled my eyes and my hands shook a bit. "Whatever Harry."

He poked my nose and I nearly toppled to the ground. "Scared you."

I stuck my tongue at him and grinned. "No you didn't."

"Yes I did. So, what're you doing here?"

"I'm listening to Thriller… Oh my gosh it's Kyle's birthday on Wednesday!"

I screamed and made a little stupid dance in front of Harry. I didn't care though. There was no one around to witness my burst of idiocy.

Harry laughed as I finished my dance. "Cool. So how are you guys gonna celebrate?"

"Well, the usual. Cakes, Coke, candies. Only Trisha and Marie celebrate with me though. But…" I said animatedly until I trailed off.

Nah. Maybe he didn't want to listen to my entire girly squabble.

"But what?" Harry persisted.

"Um… Can I tell you? Promise you won't laugh?"

He shook his head. "Of course I won't laugh Kyleen."

I sighed. "Fine. You know, I've always wanted to throw a huge party for Kyle. You know, where all my classmates'll be there. I wanted to be at… Pizzahut. I dunno. I just want to throw a huge party for him."

Harry smiled. "That would be nice. Very nice you know."

I nodded and gazed at the leaves of the grass as they were being blown by the wind. The sight gave me a serene feeling.

"I want it to be like that someday," I smiled at Harry, feeling like a child.

"Well, I hope that'll happen soon," Harry said.

"Yup. I sure hope it does Harry."

After that, we spent the afternoon chatting about other things. Harry was a nice guy to talk to. Probably the best.

And I think I fell for him even more.

I woke up on Wednesday with a smile on my face.

Oh dear. I hugged my pillow. Why was I smiling??

I tried to rack my brains for the answer.

Oh yeah. Now I remember. I dreamt of Harry again last night.

I never thought that I'd have a dream wherein I was on a date with a guy. In fact, we were strolling in the beautiful city of Italy.

How I wished that were true. Even just the couple part.

My cell phone buzzed as it gave off an alarm. I shook the sleep from my groggy eyes and reached for it.

As I saw what flashed on the screen, I nearly screamed.

It's Kyle Bismarck's birthday today!!!

I immediately got up and hurriedly dashed for the bath room.

I have got to look my best today!

I was practically skipping like a four-year-old as I went to school. Everything just seemed so bright today. I'm so glad I was this obsessed about Kyle Bismarck.

Sure it's pretty impossible that I would have a chance with him. But still, it feels nice to feel in love.

I was nearing the school gates now. I could already hear the cacophony of student chatter inside the campus. As always, it was very noisy inside.

As I entered the school grounds, my classmate Terrence waved at me.

"Cool idea Kyleen," he called out and gave me a thumbs up.

"Thanks," I called back, a bit confused though.

Uh… What exactly did I do?

Nah. Maybe some poem or essay I did and he just happened to read it.

I thought about it.

Honestly, was that likely?

I decided to forget about it and headed towards the classroom. I was at the hallway now, and students were already flooding in.

Suddenly, my classmate Clarissa smiled at me as I passed by. "You rock Kyleen!"

I waved at her and grinned. "Er… Thanks."

Okay. This day was getting weirder and weirder. And I don't even know what I did.

I finally arrived at the classroom, and made a beeline for my seat. As I passed by my classmates, they kept on saying stuff like 'You're awesome Kyleen', 'You're the best!', or 'You rule!'.

I, having no idea as to what they were talking about, only nodded my head and murmured my thanks.

I finally sat on my seat, and began unloading the things that I needed for Chemistry.

Suddenly, Trisha approached me. There was a huge grin plastered on her face.

"Kyleen! I never knew you'd actually do it!" she grinned at me, excitement etched in her face.

Marie suddenly chimed in as well. "Yeah! This was a totally cool idea Kyleen!"

Oh no! Even my best friends are all acting weird!

"Here. Don't you know?" Trisha asked as she handed me colourful flyers. I read what it said:

Kyleen Nieves Marloes invites you to come celebrate with her the birthday of Kyle Bismarck at Pizzahut. After school.

My fingers grew icy as I held the flyer. Trisha and Marie gave me a quizzical look.

"Exactly… How many people were invited?" I gulped.

"Uh… Thirty-two to be exact. The whole class," Trisha replied.

My eyes widened. "The whole class?!?!"

"Don't you know?" Marie asked, perplexed.

I shook my head violently as I began to panic. "No!"

What happened?? I do not remember doing any of these!! In fact, I'm sure I never did any of it!

And how am I supposed to pay for this???

A horrible feeling settled in my stomach as my mind raced.

Someone must've pulled a prank on me… So that they could embarrass me in front of my classmates.

I can't go through with this! I have no money to spend on thirty-two people!

Whoever set this prank up, it sure wasn't funny.

And I am gonna wring that person's neck.

But first..,.

How do I get out of this mess that that idiot made?


	39. Chapter 39

CHAPTER 38 (A SURPRISE)

Okay.

I have two options now.

One:

Pay for everything and everyone'll love me.

It seemed like a perfect plan. It's a win-win situation. Plus the fact that everyone would love me seemed like the biggest plus side of it all.

Except…

I don't have that much money!!

If I could only use mom's credit card…

Uuughh…

Forget about that.

Scrap that from the plan. It would take a miracle to get that much money.

Now to option number two:

Tell everyone that the party was off.

To be honest, I don't think that I have the guts to do that. They'd crucify me if I ever did that. The plan was suicide. A social suicide.

And that was very painful.

I nearly yanked all of my hair off. I was going ballistic now as I tried to come up with solutions. But Chemistry concepts aren't exactly solutions.

I honestly don't know what I should do. I wanted to cry each time a person would say about the party. I explained everything to Trisha and Marie. They were horrified as well.

In the end, I decided that I would call mom later on and ask her to pay for the stuff. I'd do anything to repay her; I just needed the money now.

I know. It seems lame. But I couldn't think of a better solution.

Poor mom…

Anyway, I was already on my way towards Pizzahut. Although the sun was bright, it reflected the exact opposite of what I was feeling.

I was so depressed and I seriously want to feed the jerk to sharks. He's stirred up a LOT of trouble for me! I've never been in such deep trouble before.

Curse him…

Curse him…

Curse him…

Suddenly, I stopped as I passed by one store. The rest of the noise around the world suddenly muted as I focused on the store.

I suddenly felt a spark of hope; the first one since I had that wretched problem.

I began to smile, the widest one I had today and the most genuine.

I might have a chance.

And I went inside the store, hoping that a miracle would happen.

I got outside the store, my hands trembling. I even nearly tripped on the way. If I kept on being clumsy, I might end up all mangled and scabrous.

Still…

I mentally slapped myself. For about fifty times.

Come on Kyleen! This is crazy! And you wasted a whole lot of money!

Well, not really. Just a dollar.

Still… As ludicrous as it seemed, I wanted to give it a shot.

I pulled out my ticket out of this whole mess:

Ta-dah!

It's a lottery ticket!!

Okay. I know my chances might be 0.000000000000001 percent, but I can hope right? And not only that, but I might be a millionaire!

Like I said, I was desperate.

I took out a shiny penny and began scratching the surface of the ticket.

'Come on. Come on', I urged.

I nearly gasped.

Yes! Two combinations!

My heart was racing now.

Maybe I will be a millionaire after all! Maybe I will be filthy rich and finally go on a trip around Europe like I've always wanted to do!

Finally, the last one. I scratched the last bit and waited to see what fate has decided for me.

I stared at the ticket for a few seconds. I shook my head in disbelief.

No…

No…

With a sigh, I threw the ticket inside a trash can and dug my hands into the pocket of my skirt.

Crud.

I wasted a dollar.

Now what am I supposed to do?

Play it cool. Play it cool. Play it cool.

But I couldn't. I'm currently undergoing paroxysms of joy and panic.

The only thing was, joy was more dominant.

I gasped as I entered the Pizzahut joint.

The place was booked for the whole class. Decorations were set up everywhere and a huge banner saying 'Happy Birthday Kyle Bismarck' was set up as well. The band's latest song, 'Ghostly Love' was blearing from the stereos. Even the food was set up already and all of my classmates were here.

I could not believe it. This was even better than my imagination. No… My imagination wasn't even an inkling close to this.

Now I believed that reality was better than fantasy.

Only…

Could I really afford all of this?

My panic started to kick in now. The feeling that I've been trying hard to forget.

The prankster's a clever one… He really arranged all of this. I am going to spend a fortune on this.

I ambled my way towards the table where Trisha and Marie were sitting, and I felt like my jaw's been permanently snapped off from my head, and no amount of surgery would be able to put it back.

A huge round cake was sitting on top of the table. It had the band figured on it and there was Kyle's name written in icing on the cake.

Trisha started tasting the chocolate-flavored cake with the tip of her finger. "Mm… Whoever the prankster is, I'd certainly hire him for a celebration. This is fantastic Kyleen!"

I nodded absently as I sat on my chair. "I know. He's bloody amazing."

"Well, so have you come up with a solution?" Marie asked me, diverting our thoughts away from the prankster's amazing planning skills.

"I dunno… Call mom," I replied.

I took out my cellphone and dialled mom's phone number. Her voice came from the phone after a few seconds.

"Mom? I'm in a bit..." I started when the line went static.

"I… krr… C…. Can't hear you… krr… honey..." my mom's voice said.

I put away my phone. Shoot. Why was this happening??

"Great," I muttered.

"Okay guys! Let's get this party started!" the crew began to say and the crowd cheered.

No! No! Stop! I haven't paid for all of this!!

A hand suddenly placed itself on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Harry smiling at me.

I blushed.

Great. Even Harry's here to witness my fiasco. I felt like I was dying inside.

"Nice party Kyleen," he grinned at me.

I laughed nervously. "Uh… Yeah. Thanks!"

"Well, in any case, kudos."

"Yeah. Kudos."

I want to cry now.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Bye Kyleen!"

"Awesome party!"

"I had a blast!"

I could only smile as I nodded at the people who passed by.

The party was a blast. The crew sang Happy Birthday and there were a few games. Despite being panicked, I couldn't help but laugh and smile as well. Things were fun. I wanted to enjoy things first before I come back to reality.

Which was now.

Everyone was leaving now. Trisha and Marie had to leave as well, much to my dismay. But they had to because of an emergency.

I began racking my brains for a good enough excuse to tell the Pizzahut crew.

'Come on', I willed myself.

Aaannndd….

I've got nothing.

I sighed and looked around.

Huh. It's funny. Harry's still here. He was at his seat, smiling at me. I wondered why he was lingering.

He'll be here to witness my humiliation then.

I sat down beside him. He inched a bit so there would be space for me. "Why're you still here."

He shrugged and grinned at me. "You'll see."

I shot him a confused look but I guess that I wouldn't be able to get the answer out of him.

One of the staff began to approach me. She was carrying the bill in her hands.

Okay. She was making a beeline for me. Calm down Kyleen. Tell her the truth.

To my surprise, as she got to us, she handed the bill to Harry.

"It's charged to you right?" she smiled at Harry,

Harry nodded. "Yup. Here."

He placed a wedge of money on the table and she nodded and went away.

I gaped at Harry, extremely shocked.

It wasn't a prankster after all! It was all a treat by Harry!

I stared at him disbelief. "Harry! How could you?"

He smiled and patted me on the shoulder. "Well, you wanted this. So I had it all arranged. Besides, it was fun!"

I sniffed.

Oh gosh. Were tears welling in my eyes?

Harry… Why?

All of a sudden, I flung my arms around Harry and hugged him. "Harry! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

He chuckled. "No biggie. Hey…Are you crying?"

Oh dear. I guess I am.

I sniffed once more. "Sorry Harry. I panicked because I thought it that all of it was a horrible prank."

"Really? Aw Kyleen…"

He chuckled.

I smiled at him. "Thank you Harry. This is the best present ever."

He smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

"I loved it."

Then I gave him a small peck on the cheek. I could see that he was blushing.

It all worked out in the end. And best of all, Harry was the one behind it.

That was so sweet. I've never experienced anything like that before.

"Kyleen… You're crushing me," Harry choked out.

I snapped back to reality. Oh yeah. I glomped him.

"Sorry Harry," I apologized, grinning sheepishly at him.

He smiled and messed my hair up. "Nah. It's okay."


	40. Chapter 40

CHAPTER 39 (KEYCHAIN)

I was with Trisha and Marie right now. We just went shopping a while ago. We bought a lot of new clothes and I managed to buy myself a nice swim suit.

The two were heavily hinting (or rather forcing) me to get a bikini. But I said no of course.

I am not yet ready to wear one of those.

And the two even held up a bright pink bikini in front of me.

Jeez. Crazy girls.

Anyway, I asked them all about Harry. Now I was interested in his family background.

They told me that Harry was filthy rich and that that bill was nothing. It turns out that his family owned a lot of hotels, restaurants and even modelling agencies.

Wow. I never ever knew that.

Right now, we were in front of different stores in a mall.

My throat seemed all dry so I decided to give myself a chocolate popsicle. I waited for a few seconds, my arm resting on the counter. Trisha and Marie were checking out some shirts at Top Shop.

Finally, my order arrived. I gave the guy the money and began happily licking my popsicle.

I waited for a few more seconds.

I continued licking my popsicle.

Boy, this guy sure was taking his time getting me my change,

The guy suddenly turned to me. He looked like a mess. His brown hair was in untidy tufts and his glasses seem to slip off his nose from time to time. He had a nervous expression on his face.

Really, he shouldn't. It's not like I'm gonna claw his eyes out.

"Yes?" I asked him.

"Sorry… Could you come back here for your dollar? I ran out of change and I'm gonna get some…" he asked in a small voice that I could barely hear.

Jeez. Was I that scary?

One dollar? Pretty small. Maybe I'll let it slide.

Then again, it is money. I should take it. Some people would already be immensely grateful for one dollar.

"Sure," I replied and took my change.

Trisha and Marie just came from Top Shop, carrying plastic bags.

I knew it. They just couldn't resist.

We decided to go to the cd store next. I've been itching to buy a movie that I could watch for next weekend.

There were two stores in front of us:

Video World and Audio Mania.

"Where should we go?" Trisha asked, pointing to the two stores.

"I dunno. They're all basically the same," Marie shrugged.

Hm… Yeah. Which one?

All of a sudden, I heard one of the Thriller's songs: Move Like That, being played.

It was coming from Audio Mania.

"Audio Mania," I said automatically and dragged the two to the store.

I know. I'm biased. But I can't help it. I'm a fan.

A few people were inside the store. I saw a guy with a green Mohawk scan the horror section of the store.

Um… I'm not so sure I'm digging horror for now.

"Oooh!!" the two suddenly screamed.

I turned around. The two were controlling themselves from screaming as they stared at the cd that Trisha was holding.

Ahh… No wonder.

"Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging?" I asked, smiling.

"Aaron's cute!" the two squealed at the same time.

I chuckled and walked towards the comedy section. I scanned the cds carefully.

Hm… what would be a riot?

My eyes saw one movie. I immediately plucked it off the rack.

Yup. I was definitely buying Beverly Hills Cop.

I began scanning the shelf once more. I spotted another good movie and added it to my hand.

Yup. I definitely wanted Forrest Gump. I heard it was a good movie and Tom Hanks is one of my favourite actors.

"So Kyleen!" Trisha boomed in my ear.

I nearly jumped and scattered the cds on the floor.

Jeez Trisha could be so hyper.

"Trisha!" I chuckled.

She cupped her hands to her mouth. "Oops! Sorry Kyleen."

I shook my head. "Nah. It's okay."

Marie popped in a few seconds later. This time, she had the movie 'The Covenant' in her hands.

Oh yeah. She loved Steven Strait.

"Calm down sis. You should be calmer," Marie said.

Trisha chuckled. "Oh sorry."

"What were you about to say?" I asked Trisha.

"Well… Have you told Harry that you like him?"

I paused for a bit.

Here's the thing…

I'm extremely shy towards Harry. So how on earth would I be able to confess to him? It seemed like an impossible task! Heck! My chances of piloting a plane were higher than confessing to Harry.

"I dunno… I think that I have the courage to do so," I said.

"Oh. Too bad. You should tell him soon Kyleen. What if another girl gets him?" Trisha said.

At this thought, I froze.

Another girl?

Putting her hand…

No…

Make that dirty, filthy, squalid-looking hand…

Around Harry's shoulders?

Okay.

Now that made me mad!!

I could feel my blood boiling as I thought about it. No way.

Okay. I mean, doesn't every girl feel like this towards any guy she likes?

"Hm… As much as I hate to admit it, you've got a point Trisha," I smiled.

Yeah. I had to tell him soon.

Okay. I am making a contract with myself. If I do not tell Harry how I feel the moment I see him, I will do fifty push-ups.

Yup. I'm serious.

I can do it. No problem. It was a piece of cake.

"Yeah. I'll tell him soon," I grinned.

"Good," Marie and Trisha said at the same time.

Well, we were parting ways now. I waved goodbye to Trisha and Marie. They bought tons of movies! Well, they were going to have a movie marathon during the weekend. They might as well buy mountain loads of movies.

I walked around the mall, carrying my plastic bag full of cds. I bought Beverly Hills Cop, Forrest Gump and Somewhere in Time.

I guess I'm a retro-lover. But seriously, the old movies were awesome. I even had a crush on Scott Baio before.

Well, at least his twenty-years-ago look.

Dorky and cute. I really liked that.

Speaking of guys that I liked, I wondered how I would tell Harry how I felt.

Was I brave enough to do it?

And if I came face to face with Harry, would my tongue come untied and my legs unfreeze?

I sighed, thinking that all of this was impossible.

Anyway, I'll think about it later. I shouldn't exhaust my mind right now.

Wait…

Did I forget anything?

Oh yeah. I had to go back for my one dollar back at that stand.

No way was I letting a nice dollar go to waste.

Jeez. Right about now, I wished that money could buy me courage.

I began to make my way towards the stand. A kid nearly hit me as he was running about. Honestly, they should be more careful.

I finally arrived at the stand. I propped my hand under my chin and gazed to the right. Right now, I was staring at a Korean family.

Aw… The kid's so cute.

I want to kidnap her.

Okay Kyleen. Stop it.

"Um… I'm here for my change. The one dollar," I said in a listless voice as I debated with myself whether to kidnap the kid or not.

Gosh she was cute.

"Kyleen?" a familiar voice said.

My mind left my kidnapping plans for a while. I swivelled around to look at whoever was managing the stand.

I gasped and my eyes widened.

Dang it! So soon?

"Hello Kyleen," Harry grinned at me.

"H-Harry?" I asked, appalled.

"Hi. Nice bumping into you. In case you're wondering, my parents own this. So I come here at times," he explained to me.

Dum-dum-dum!

There goes my heart!

"Oh. Cool," I said nervously.

Get a grip! Stay cool!

"You need your dollar back?" he asked me.

"Yeah. The guy a while ago told me to come back for it," I replied, still surprised.

"Oh. Here," he said and handed me a dollar.

"Thanks," I said as I took it.

Okay. What do I do? Do I fulfill my self-made, self-signed mental contract?

But I can't! Do I honestly want to humiliate myself? And in front of Harry too?

But… I had to. I was dying to let him know.

Okay. I took a deep breath.

Here goes nothing.

I inhaled a considerably huge amount of oxygen. "Harry… I need to tell you that I like y-"

However, I was interrupted as the previous guy who handled the stand came in. I immediately clammed up.

"Harry! I got the newest comic book of Mega Supra Galacticus!" he said excitedly, waving a glossy comic book in his hands.

Aaarrrgghh! Who cares about that stupid comic book?? I was so freaking close!!!!

Hm… Then again, that issue IS nice.

Aaah! But still!

"Oh. Cool Randy," Harry grinned.

I sighed.

I can't tell him now. I got interrupted, and just when I was about to tell Harry how I felt about him.

It would only have taken a second more. One second.

Jeez.

Randy finally left. Yeah. Shoo. He ruined everything.

Harry turned back to me. "So, what were you about to say?"

I shook my head. "Nah. Next time."

He chuckled. "Fine Kyleen."

No…

No…

No…

That was my chance. My shot.

And the guy who gave me that chance took it away from me as well.

How ironic.

"Oh. Your key chain's here. I need to give it to you now," he said and returned my Spongebob key chain.

"Yey!" I cried in delight as I stuffed it into my pocket.

Finally! I nearly forgot about it. Well, it's here with me now. Yes! My visit wasn't such a total waste after all.

"So… Can I treat you to ice cream?" he grinned at me.

I smiled back. "Thanks Harry. Sure. I'd love that."

Nah. It's not a waste after all.


	41. Chapter 41

CHAPTER 40 ( SEARCH FOR PROM DATE)

I bolted upright.

I blinked as I stared at a window. Sunlight was dancing inside my room.

I yawned and stretched out my arms. I heard them crack.

Ouch.

I rubbed my eyes.

Gosh. Awful dream.

I dreamt that I had no prom date. And that happened after I learned that I didn't pass any of the entrance exams in college. That, in turn, happened after I got a zero in all of my examinations.

Jeez. My worst nightmares have been horrible meshed up in one dream. It was awful and sick.

No entrance exam passed…

That was impossible.

I got a zero in all of the examinations…

Nah. That's too crazy and whacked out.

Hah. And I had no prom date!

Now that was simply dotty! That was totally—

Wait…

I don't have a prom date.

Oh dear. I haven't asked anyone, and no one's asked me.

Oh well. I'll ask Harry later on when I get to school.

Ask him. Go on!

No… I'm the girl. He's supposed to ask me out!

Well, if you don't ask him out, another girl might ask him out.

What? Oh no! I don't know what to do anymore!

I've been debating with myself for the past few hours. In fact, I wasn't paying the slightest attention to our English class.

I've been staring at Harry, who was only a few seats away. He was twirling his pencil now, no doubt feeling bored.

The bell rang, and classes ended.

Whaaat?!? I wasted my entire morning debating with myself whether to ask Harry or not?!

Great Kyleen. You sure make the most of your time.

I sighed and got up. Harry approached me, he told Danny, Dougie and Tom to go ahead. The three walked out the door.

Oh no. Here he comes.

Okay! This is my chance!

"Hey Kyleen. Wanna have lunch with me?" he grinned at me.

Oh my gosh. I'm having lunch with him! My cheeks flushed and my heart started galloping.

"Sure. Thanks Harry," I smiled back.

Okay. Now ask him.

I bit my bottom lip.

I can do this.

"Harry… um…," I began to say.

Great. Back to my tongue-tied problem!

He turned around. "Yes?"

"You see… um… um… I… I… I…" I began to say.

'Go ahead! Spit it out!' my mind screamed.

I sighed.

"Nothing. I forgot something at my desk. Could you wait for a while?" I added lamely.

"Sure thing," he nodded.

I went to my desk and pretended to get something. I picked up my pencil.

I mentally strangled myself.

Great Kyleen. Simply great.

I was spearing my macaroni with my fork. I carefully popped it into my mouth.

The cafeteria was noisy, as usual. The tinkling of forks and spoons were quite loud as more students entered the crowded place.

"Kyleen, you got a prom date already?" Harry asked me.

Shoot. Prom.

Kyleen! Are you going to wait for ten years to ask him out??

'Can you come to the prom with me?'

See? It's a simple question.

It's not rocket science; it does not require background information about thermodynamics; you don't need a scientific calculator; and there are certainly no hifalooting words.

But why oh why do I find it hard to say?

"Actually, not yet," I shrugged.

"Oh? I thought someone asked you out?" Harry asked, looking confused.

I shook my head. "Nope. No one."

"I see."

We continued eating lunch.

Okay. Time to tell him.

You are a spontaneous and articulate person. You are coherent and you speak fluent English. You can have the courage to ask him.

"Harry, is it okay if I…" I started but then I lost the words.

Dang it! I had them in my head a while ago for Pete's sake!

"What Kyleen? Go on," he urged me.

"Oh. Right. Is it okay if I…" I began to say once more.

Go on. Saaay it!!

"Umm… Is it okay if I borrow your Trig notebook for this weekend?" I asked.

"Sure," he smiled.

Greeeeat. Strike two for Kyleen.

Unfortunately, I'm rendered incoherent once I'm in front of Harry.

I dribbled the ball and made a shoot for the hoop,

It got in! Yes!

Trisha gave me a high five. "Nice!"

"Thanks!" I grinned back.

Marie gave me the thumbs up and I winked back at her.

I seriously love basketball. I could shoot the balls easily. It was no sweat.

Harry clapped his hands as he approached me. Everyone was retreating towards the showers.

"Nice Kyleen. You're even better than me," he grinned.

I wiped my forehead. "Oh. Thanks."

Okay Kyleen. Last chance!

I held the ball in my hands nervously.

"Harry…" I started.

I wanted to slam the ball in my face. Go on! Tell him!

"Can you come with me? I'll just return this ball," I said.

"Sure," he grinned.

Kyleen, you can score a million hoops but you sure can't pluck up the courage to ask a guy you like to be your prom date.

School was over and we were outside the gates now.

And I still haven't asked Harry.

Darn it.

If I'm like this for life, I'll end up being an old maid.

I sighed. Why was it so freaking hard?

I said goodbye to Trisha and Marie as we went about our separate ways.

I was walking along the pavement. Leaves were falling from the trees. I felt awful and I wished that I did something.

I looked up and suddenly saw Harry walking in front of me.

Oh my gosh. I had one last shot after all.

Okay. I am NOT going to screw this up!

I ran towards him. "Harry!"

He turned around. "Yes?"

Gosh he looked handsome when the rays of the sun hit his face.

Now, back to business.

"Harry, would it be okay If you were to be—" I said but was interrupted as I heard a low growl from somewhere.

What the heck was that? I turned around and saw a huge dog behind us, growling and baring its sharp teeth.

I gulped. This did not look good.

"Kyleen, get behind me," Harry said and I rushed to get behind him. I was getting scared now as the dog advanced towards us.

All of a sudden, Harry removed his shoe and it looked like he was aiming it at the dog.

Wait! Is he seriously gonna hit that dog with his shoe? I heard that his shoes were specially imported from Italy and every guy envied him.

Was he really going to do it?

To my surprise, he did. He hurled it towards the dog. It hit its mark and the dog whimpered and scurried away.

"Harry! I can't believe you!" I exclaimed, surprised.

"Well, it would've been bad if it hurt you. I'm glad you're fine though," he smiled and began walking towards his shoe. I noticed that his once perfect shoe now had a tear on it.

Aw… and those were nice shoes too.

"Thanks Harry," I smiled at him as he went back to me and slipped on his torn shoe.

"Sure thing," he grinned at me.

Okay Kyleen. Now tell him what you've wanted to tell him the whole day.

"Harry," I took in a deep breath. "Can you be my prom date?"

He looked at me, surprised. "Wow. You really asked me out?"

I blushed a bit, trying to calm myself down. "Y-yup. I don't know much guys and I thought that you'd be… nice."

There! I said it!

I looked at him expectantly, willing him to say yes.

He chuckled. "Wow. You're different. You know, I was about to ask you out to prom too."

I looked at him, puzzled.

HE was about to ask ME to be his PROM DATE?

"Really?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yup. I like you. You'd be fun during the prom. So I'll pick you up at eight?"

I laughed. "Yup Harry."

"Cool. See you then."

That just made my day.


	42. Chapter 42

CHAPTER 41 (DRUNK)

Somehow, I kind of missed my old get-up. Baggy pants, loose shirts, a cap and some sneakers.

I was walking towards the grocery store, wearing that get-up. My hair was neatly tucked into my cap and a few tufts stood out but I figured that I looked decent enough. It was night anyway, no one would notice that much.

It felt pretty nice to be in these again. I felt comfortable once more and my body certainly welcomed the clothes that I've been grown accustomed to.

Oh. And I got my prom dress yesterday too. I slipped it on and it totally fit, and without complications. I was so happy.

Everything's going perfect! And I even got Harry as a date. Prom day was already tomorrow, and I'm absolutely psyched.

It's about eight p.m. now. I'm used to the streets here and it's perfectly safe, so I don't feel nervous at all. Nope. Not one bit.

I entered the grocery store. The old lady who was chewing gum like a cow was still manning the counter. A few people, particularly an old lady, eyed me curiously.

Well, I can't help it if I like my get-up. And isn't this a free country?

Anyway, I just shrugged them all off. I shouldn't really mind. I'm used to discriminating looks anyway.

I got all that I needed, which were grape juice and fresh milk.

In a few minutes, I paid for my groceries and quickly scurried away from the people scrutinizing my outfit.

I was outside the glass doors. A few more people were staring at me, much to my annoyance.

Jeez. Can't they mind their own business?

Suddenly, someone bumped into me. The force of the impact nearly made me drop my groceries. Good thing I managed to maintain my balance.

I looked at who I had bumped into.

It was a girl with brown hair with bangs in front of her forehead. She was wearing a black mini-dress and dangling earrings which sparkled in the night.

She looked…

Whoozy.

I suspected that she was a bit drunk already. She was muttering something to herself and giggling a bit. She was wobbling all over. It was a miracle that she didn't crash into the pavement.

"Oh… Haha… Sorry… Didn't see you there… Haha… My date ditched me…" she said in a sleazy voice and hiccupped.

Her earrings tinkled.

Uh… I have a feeling… a very strong one… that I should go now. It's the same as fleeing from the scene of a crime so I wouldn't be blamed for a crooked murder or something.

All of a sudden, she grabbed my hand. I looked at her hand which was firmly clasped on mine, willing it to let go of me. However, her green-painted nails dug into my shirt.

Aaaargh! Let me go!

All of a sudden, she placed her hand on her mouth. Her eyes widened.

Oh no. Don't tell me she's about to hurl.

Thankfully, she only burped. Then she began to laugh, almost hysterically.

"Haha… Thought I was about to puke, eh? Don't worry honey, everyone does. Haha…" she said, a grin on her face.

I backed away a bit. Maybe a few inches. Just to get a safe distance away from her because she certainly had trouble written all over her.

Oh gosh. I should really go now.

"Um… I'll be leaving," I said and tried to leave but her hand grabbed my shirt and I could feel her grip tighten as a few milliseconds passed.

Darn it.

"Oh honey… I can't let you go… I gotta go to a party. You know? At Red Coconut?" she said.

Red Coconut? Isn't that where all the celebrities go? She must have really good connections.

Anyway, I would've been thrilled but I certainly didn't want to spend the night with someone this drunk and would obviously get drunker later on.

"Sorry. I gotta go," I insisted but she wouldn't let go of me.

I was starting to get really irritated.

"Hey. You're a cute guy. Wanna come with me?" she asked, still not letting go of me.

Jeez she was strong.

"Um… I'm not a guy," I replied.

She gave off a laugh. "Oh. Good one honey. I like you. Let's go."

She placed her arm around mine and began dragging me off.

"Hey!" I protested.

"What's wrong honey?" she asked,

I let go of her. "I'm not a boy! And I'm leaving now!"

I started to walk away when she burst into tears. In fact, she was practically shouting.

A few heads turned to look at us, and a police officer was frowning at us.

I rushed to her, trying to calm her down. "Sssh! Sssh! Calm down!"

"Yooou anddd meee…We used to be toooggeethherr…. Alwaaays," she began to sing.

Gosh she's drunk.

"Ssh! Lady! Keep quiet! We'll get into trouble!" I hissed.

"Come with me first. Dooon'tt speeaaakk!" she continued.

I whirled around. Uh-oh. I might seriously get into trouble.

I guess I could go. Then I'll ditch her after ten minutes. She'll party with someone else anyway.

"Okay! Okay! I give! Let's go," I said hurriedly as I looked around tentatively.

She clapped her hands and placed her hand on mine. "Thanks, love!"

I had a feeling that I should've said no. But I just couldn't leave her. Not when she's drunk and singing off-key.

Besides, I'll be fine.


	43. Chapter 43

CHAPTER 42 (SCENE)

Hey. This place isn't so bad after all.

We entered the building, music could be heard from quite a distance. There was a line, a long one too. But we easily got in since my drunken companion had a VIP pass.

As I entered the place, disco lights flashed and everyone was on the dance floor. I saw some getting pretty wild and a few looked drunker than my companion. Which seemed like a miracle.

Okay, I keep on referring to her as 'my companion' or 'my drunken companion' since I don't know her name.

"Honey, what's your name?" she asked, her arm still entwined with mine as we made our way through the throng of people. It was much harder since everyone seemed drunk here.

"Er… Kyleen," I replied.

"I'll call you Kyle. It's so much easier to remember. I'm Tammie by the way."

Good. At least I can address to her properly now.

"Tammie, can I leave you here? I mean, I do have to go," I pleaded once we were in a corner.

"Leave me?!? But hon-"she started to yell but I placed my hand on her mouth before she could start a ruckus.

Great. That decides it. I can't leave her or else she'll go demented.

I sighed. "Fine. I'll stay. And I'm a girl."

She started laughing. "Suuuure Kyle. Nice joke."

I rolled my eyes. What's the point of convincing someone this drunk?

Suddenly, the song 'Don't Speak' began playing.

"Kyle! It's our theme song! Let's dance!" she said and began pulling me towards the dance floor.

I, however, stood my ground and didn't budge.

"Er… I'd rather jump off a cliff," I replied.

No way was I dancing there.

Nuh-uh.

Never.

No way…

"I said… LET'S DANCE!" she said and violently yanked me towards the dance floor.

Whoa! Who is she? Superman? Gosh she's strong and has a tight grip!

I sighed as she continued dragging me.

Oh fine. I guess I have no choice now.

Woah. This is kind of fun!

Right now, we were dancing to the beat of 'Thriller' by Michael Jackson.

Tammie's actually really cute, despite being severely drunk. She says the funniest things. And she's really pretty too.

She kept on doing some crazy steps and everyone cheered her on. It's like she was the star of the night.

She kept on teaching me some of her crazy moves. I managed to imitate them as well and she'd cheer so loudly once I got them.

I kind of liked her. We could really be friends.

I texted my parents that I'd be coming home late because of traffic. I kind of feel awful. I don't like lying to my parents.

But I can't leave Tammie yet.

Finally, she told me that we should retreat to the bar. She seemed tired of dancing now and my feet felt tired too so I had no complaints. She slung her hand over my shoulder and directed me towards the bar.

Well, it was actually more of me directing her since she keeps on wobbling.

We finally arrived and we sat on the oddly-shaped chairs. I was kind of afraid that Tammie would wobble and fall over. I kept on watching her.

"What'll you have?" the bartender asked her.

"Oh… The usual Eddie," she said, waving her hand.

"You?" he turned to me.

"Oh. No. No thanks," I said.

Tammie tugged on my shirt. "Oh no Kyle. It's on me. Don't you worry."

I shook my head. "Er… I don't drink."

She blinked. "Oh. Give him some juice Eddie. You like mango?"

I nodded. "Mango's fine."

The bartender went away to fetch our orders. Tammie started pushing her hair back.

Wow. It's the first time I've seen her frown for the first time. Usually, she was laughing out of control.

I think I prefer the crazy one over this gloomy and just plain sad persona of hers.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Nothing… My stupid boyfriend broke up with me… For a stupid blond… Said she had better legs…"

Tears began trickling down her cheeks.

Oh no. She's crying.

The bartender set the drinks in front of us. Tammie immediately drank hers and I sipped on my mango juice.

Gosh I felt sorry for her.

"You know… It's hard… I've been like, sacrificing for him. I gave him what he wanted. He wants this shoe, I give it to him. No hesitance. I call him everyday just to tell him I love him…. I once, like, waited for three hours at a restaurant. It was our anniversary…. He ditched me… for that dumb blond..." she sniffed and took a swig at her drink. I couldn't help but feel so angry. "Sorry Kyle. You came here to have fun, not to listen to my problems."

I shook my head. "No Tammie. I'm here for you. He's a jerk."

"Nah. Rod's a nice guy. It's that blond. I hate her."

Poor Tammie. Still defending the guy.

"Tammie, forget about him. You deserve someone better. And he's a jerk for leaving you," I said.

She gulped. "R-really? I don't have to go blond?"

Oh gosh. What's this guy done to her? The poor thing.

"Tammie, you are very pretty as you are. And someone as wonderful as you doesn't deserve this kind of treatment. Let him go. You are a wonderful, cute and fun person and you just need to find the right guy," I said, holding her hand because she was starting to bang on the counter.

"I'm not… T-trash?" she hiccupped.

I shook my head. "Of course not Tammie. You're way better than any blond. Come on. Don't show that guy that you're weak. Show him you can live without him."

She nodded, finally registering what I said. "Yeah. You're right. You think I'll find the right guy?"

I nodded. "I'm positive Tammie."

She started calming down now. She began to smile once more. Then she pecked me on the cheek.

"Thanks Kyle," she said and hugged me.

"No prob," I smiled and hugged her, patting her back.

Er… Minus the kiss on the cheek and this could be a start of a beautiful friendship.

Yup. This was better. I couldn't stand seeing her so upset. She should happy.

Stupid Rod.

She let go of me. She stared into my eyes and smiled.

"Kyle, I like you," she said.

I blinked, feeling a bit nervous. "Oh. Okay."

To my horror, she began to come closer to me, she held my hand.

OH MY GOSH!!!!!!! Don't tell me she's about to do THAT!!!!

"Kyle, I think I'm in love with you," she said and moved closer.

Oh-ho! Not so fast sister!

I pushed her a bit. "Tammie!! I'm not a guy!!"

She grabbed my hand.

Jeez she had a firm grip.

"Don't worry Kyle. Stop joking. I won't be able to sleep if I don't kiss you…" she said and continued.

Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.

No way was I committing this homosexual act! I'm fine with lesbian and gay people but no way am I doing the stuff they do!

I turned my head to the right and gasped as I saw who was standing a few meters away.

I struggled to get out and I fell from my chair. Tammie nearly fell too.

I was on the floor. I was panting. I wanted to cry now. I really did.

The look in those eyes… It was so painful.

My cap had dropped to the floor.

"You are a girl!" Tammie gasped.

I stood up and began running to where he had gone off. I hoped that I didn't lose him.

"Harry!" I called out.


	44. Chapter 44

CHAPTER 43 (MISUNDERSTOOD)

I still couldn't find him. The massive crowd gave me little scope of the area.

Harry… Harry…

Darn it. This place was just so crowded!

I moved around a bit. The music was adding to the confusion inside my head. I wanted to shut it off so I could think more clearly.

Finally, I saw him. My heart raced.

Oh no. He's about to go out now!

I quickened my pace and was also careful not to bump anyone who was in my way.

I finally arrived at the exit. It took me about a few more minutes to get through since it was so crowded.

I finally got outside. I was panting and desperately looking for Harry.

A while ago, I saw him looking at me with shocked and hurt eyes.

I couldn't take that.

I needed to tell him that that scene meant nothing. I'm no lesbian.

I saw him walking past the pastry shop. I ran towards it.

"Harry!" I called out as I was a few meters away from him.

He didn't answer but kept on walking.

"Harry…" I pleaded and held his arm.

Finally, he turned to face me. A frown was on his face.

Okay. Calm down Kyleen. You can do this.

"Harry… What you saw. It wasn't like that," I said.

He was still frowning. "Really Kyleen? You two were getting really cozy with each other… I never thought you'd do that Kyleen. I thought you were better than that… But it seems that your habits are inveterate."

I flinched. "No Harry. She was drunk. She didn't know."

"I'll bet you liked that too. I mean, you even dressed up for the part."

Dang it.

"I… I know. I just missed being in these…" I said, bowing my head.

Harry sighed. "Okay. Let's say you did. But why were you there?"

"That girl dragged me there. I didn't want to go in the first place!"

"Do you realize that something could've happened to you there? That's a wild place! You could've been hit on the head with a bottle or something!"

"Well then! Why were you there?"

"My family owns the place. I visited it for a while. I didn't know I'd see… you."

I kept silent. I didn't want to yell at Harry.

"Harry… I'm sorry," I apologized.

He sighed. "Sorry for the outburst too… But if you'd been smarter you would've gone out earlier. Anything could've happened to you. I tried to change you Kyleen. I guess I was wishing for the impossible."

"Harry! I'm not a lesbian and… I do like… a boy!"

He blinked, surprised. "Oh. Who?"

Okay! Tell him Kyleen! And everything will be okay.

However, I felt nervous once more.

Oh no…

Don't tell me I can't say it!

"I… I… I like…" I began to say but I couldn't finish my sentence.

Oh no…

I've lost my courage.

Harry had a hurt look on his face. "Oh… It's alright if you don't want to tell me Kyleen… I guess you know how I feel about you now, and you don't want to hurt me…"

How he feels about me? Him getting hurt?

What the-??

"But I do want to tell you something," he continued.

He went near me, pulled me towards him and kissed me.

OH MY GOSH!!!!

Finally, he let go of me.

I was blushing.

He held my chin. "I love you Kyleen. And… good luck with the guy you like. He's lucky. I'll go pick you up at prom tomorrow."

He walked away and a car immediately went in front of him. He waved at me before getting inside the car, a sad expression on his face.

I was crying now.

No… This is all wrong.

Harry liked me too… But he thinks that I like someone else.

And it's all because I couldn't voice out how I felt.

I kicked a pebble.

I hate myself.

All of a sudden, a hand was on my shoulder. I sniffed as I turned around.

It was Lance.

I flinched. Why was he here?

"Hey. I saw you from the club. What's wrong?" he asked, a concerned expression on his face as he saw me crying.

I immediately hugged Lance and cried on his shoulder. "Everything."


	45. Chapter 45

CHAPTER 45 (THE LAST PIECE)

Harry ran his hands through his hair. His eyebrow was furrowed as he took in the explanation of Tammie.

"Oh… I've been a bloody idiot," he muttered.

Kyleen was just a victim. She really didn't want to go inside the club. She WAS forced. And she was just nice because Tammie was too drunk that night.

'I thought you were better than that… But it seems that your habits are inveterate…'

Crud. How could he say that? That was awful! Poor Kyleen… And she didn't even yell at him.

"I am really sorry," Harry said.

Lance looked at him. "She's pretty wounded, you know. Cried on my shoulder for a long time."

"She's that hurt?" Harry asked, feeling awful.

An awful, bestial being…

"Of course. She likes you. She always has," Lance replied.

Harry blinked.

Wait! Kyleen liked him back?? Why didn't she say so? She even had a chance!

What if…

Oh no. She just couldn't express herself.

"Sh-she does?" Harry asked, completely shocked.

"Yeah. She never told you?" Lance asked.

Harry shook his head. "Um… No. But…"

That night… She just couldn't tell him… probably freaked… She was just new to all this stuff… It must have been hard for her.

But she did try…

She did…

And he didn't give her that chance.

Bloody…

He had to tell her how he was wrong. He had to fix things. He had to. He had hurt her, and he had to fix it.

He was fine now. Things had been shattered now, but some parts were fixed now.

Kyleen was the only missing piece. The last one.

"Okay. Thanks! I'll go see her and I'll fix things," Harry said hurriedly and rushed off to find Kyleen.

Tammie and Lance looked at him as he ran off.

"You're a good guy. You hated him, right?" Tammie asked Lance.

Lance shrugged. "I still do. A bit. But I'll do anything for Kyleen."

"You like her?"

"No. I just care a lot about her. I don't want to see her sad."

Tammie chuckled. "It's nice to see guys like you."

Lance grinned. "Thanks."

They were silent for a while.

"So… Er… Can I get you something to eat?" Lance asked, breaking the silence.

Tammie nodded and smiled. "I'd love to."

Harry knocked on the front door.

Good thing the mess has been straightened out now. He had been stupid.

And Lance fixed it too! Who would've thought? It would've been the perfect way to get back at him.

He owed him. A lot.

He should've let Kyleen explain. Well, that was too late now.

But now things were going to be fine. He would put back all the pieces.

Finally, the door opened. It was Kyleen's mom.

"Oh. Harry. What are you doing here? I thought Kyleen was with you?" she asked, a puzzled tone to her voice.

Oh snap. She left!

Harry managed to regain his composure. He gave off a cough. Kyleen's parents might worry if he let it slip that Kyleen hadn't gone out with him.

"Oh. She is. She just… er… asked me to get… her…" he trailed off and his eyes darted towards a pair of heels.

Yes! Those will do!

He grabbed a pair of heels. "These shoes! Her heels got broken!"

Kyleen's mom nodded. "Oh. Right. Well, you guys have fun."

"Will do. Thank you."

Harry walked away and whipped out his cell phone from his pocket.

"Trisha, is Kyleen there?" he asked after he had dialled Trisha's number.

"Um… No. Sorry," Trisha replied.

Oh no. Where was she?

He placed his phone back in his pocket. He tried to think of where she could've gone off to. There were a variety of possibilities, and it was hard to narrow down things.

He thought more deeply.

Finally, he had it. It was obvious. She had told him once before. She was bound to be there.

"I know," he muttered and went to his car. He revved the engine, and drove off to where Kyleen hopefully was.


	46. Chapter 46

CHAPTER 46 (FIXED)

"I'm gonna make my night great,

Though you won't be here,

I'm not gonna be late,

For the party of the year."

I sang this as I sat in the bench.

Yup. I was at the park. I was listening to 'It's My Night' by Thriller. I felt much better at once. Music always managed to soothe me. And I was absolutely depressed.

I rocked on my heels.

Jeez. I think about twenty minutes have passed now. I know. I should be at prom, dancing the night away with Harry.

But I can't. He's probably still pissed off with me anyway. He probably doesn't want to see me… Yeah… He can't stand the sight of me. It's better if I go away and stop being a nuisance to him.

I continued humming the song, feeling so alone.

But…

How I wish that things had turned out differently…

"Kyleen…" a voice said behind me.

I froze. Was that really Harry?

I turned around and I did see Harry. He was dressed in a sleek black suit and his hair was neatly fixed. Picture perfect.

He looked… gorgeous.

But I'm not falling for that. He doesn't want me. Plus, his words still stung.

He approached me slowly, his figure becoming clearer as he went near. "Kyleen… I'm sorry… Really…"

I leapt from my bench and backed away. "You shouldn't have come…"

He took a step closer. I backed away, nearly tripping over a rock.

"I know you're hurt. But I'm sorry I misunderstood you. Come on. Let's go to prom.." he said, his hand reaching out to me.

Should I really take this? What if I just end up getting hurt once more? It's hard to plunge into all of this just when I've learned how to be a girl. I feel like the boy inside me is still there.

And that boy's still afraid to take the plunge.

Before I could stop myself, I ran for it. My legs tried to run with all of the force they could muster. It was a wonder I could run this fast in my heels.

"Kyleen!!" Harry yelled and began running after me as well.

I continued running, not even turning back.

Dang it! These heels are absolute torture! It's hard enough to walk in them, let alone run.

But I'm in no position to complain. I have to get away from Harry. I just had to.

All of a sudden, I tripped over a rock. I fell down on the grass. My arms shielded my face. I suddenly realized that my heels snapped. Both of them.

Dang it. I knew I should've worn my Converse.

I looked up and saw that Harry was nearing me.

Darn it! Hurriedly, I looked around. Finally, I spotted a tree.

Yes! I'll climb that!

I abandoned my shoes and began to carefully climb up the tree. Luckily, my dress didn't get torn into pieces.

Finally, I sat on the branch. I had a triumphant grin on my face.

Hah. He can't get me from here.

Harry arrived. He was panting as he looked at me. "Kyleen! Get down!"

"No," I said defiantly.

He sighed. "Look. I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't know. Lance and Tammie told me everything. I've been an idiot. I'm really sorry."

I looked at him. A tear slid down my cheek. I wiped it with the back of my hand. "Harry… It hurt… What you said… I've been crying the whole night… I didn't mean to do it… It just happened. It hurt that you looked at me that way… I can't… I can't forget it…"

Oh gosh. I really am tearing up now. But I can't help it. I was hurt.

"Kyleen… I've been a jerk. I'm really sorry. But I've come here to apologize. I've been an idiot, but now I see. I shouldn't have done that. Come on. I won't go to prom without you," he said.

I sniffed. "Oh just go Harry. Find another date."

He shook his head. "No. I won't go."

"Fine by me."

He's still sitting there… Oh well… He'll get frustrated and leave. I'm willing to bet on it. I'm not budging from here.

Dang it! He's not leaving me, is he?

Harry was still sitting there, and about fifteen minutes have passed. He's serious. If he doesn't leave now, he'll miss prom.

Despite feeling annoyed, I found the gesture quite touching actually. He was serious.

"Harry, you really won't go?" I asked after being silent for the past fifteen minutes.

He shook his head. "No. I want you with me."

For a second, my face crinkled into a smile. Harry was sincere. He did want me. I thought that he wasn't serious, but he was. He wanted me there.

My heart was pounding now.

Maybe… I should give this one more shot.

Oh dear. We'd better get going now. I think we might really miss prom.

I sighed. I hope this'll turn out good in the end.

"Alright Harry. I'll go. I just… have to get down," I said and tried to figure a way to get down.

I scrunched my eyebrows. Hm… This is harder than I thought.

"I'll catch you," Harry said as he positioned himself under the tree.

I looked at him and bit my lip. "You might get hurt…"

"Just jump Kyleen…"

I took a deep breath.

Okay. Let's go.

I jumped off and nearly screamed. I landed in Harry's arms.

Whew. That was good.

"Thanks Harry," I said, looking at him.

He turned red. Really red. "Oh… Sure thing."

Gosh. Why was he red?

Oh no… Don't tell me…

"You saw my underwear???" I gasped.

"N-no! I… Anyway, that's not the point. Let's go," he floundered and began carrying me towards his car.

Oh. He so saw it.

Aaah. Never mind.

All of a sudden, I remembered something.

"Harry! My shoes! They're broken," I gasped. And I didn't bring a spare.

"Don't worry. I have it covered," he grinned at me.

I stared at him. "Really?"

"Yup."

I gave off a huge sigh of relief. Good old Harry.

I kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks Harry, I've been an idiot too."


	47. Chapter 47

CHAPTER 47 (THE NIGHT)

We arrived at the gym. I was wearing my new heels. In fact, they looked better than the one I wore a while ago. Harry's definitely beating me when it comes to taste in fashion.

We went to the middle. The disco lights were flashing and the music was playing. It was a slow dance now and some couples were on the dance floor. I noticed that the number had decreased by now.

Well, it was very late now. I shouldn't wonder.

I saw Trisha and Marie approach me. Trisha was wearing a strapless periwinkle blue dress and Marie was wearing a pink strapless dress with a bauble skirt. I noticed that their hair had these cute, glittery clips on it.

"Hey! Where've you guys been?" Trisha asked me.

"Oh. Had some… er… Trouble. It's okay now," I smiled at her.

"Yeah. Took us quite a while," Harry added.

"Well, it is late. But you're in time for the last dance," Marie said.

I sighed in relief.

I didn't miss my prom after all. Well, about ninety-nine percent. But the remaining one percent was bound to be special. I had a feeling about it.

"Oh. Before I forget. I don't know if this is good news or bad news, but Harry, you got crowned as the Prom King," Trisha said.

Harry and I exchanged dumbfounded expressions.

"Really?" we both blurted out at the same time.

Marie nodded. "Yup. Gianna was the Prom Queen."

As expected. But I don't like her. Her pretty face can't mask her snake-like personality.

"This year, they made a little twist," Trisha continued.

"What was it?" I asked.

"Harry's supposed to make out with the Prom Queen," Marie supplied.

"WHAT?!" I couldn't help but yell.

Oops. I think I overreacted. I looked at Harry and I could see that his mouth had curled into a smile.

He's enjoying this. I can tell.

"Um… Anyway… Really?" I said in a much more composed tone now.

"Uh-huh. We figured Gianna set it up. But since you didn't show up, she never got it. She looked so disappointed," Trisha grinned.

Oh yeah. Trisha hated Gianna too. What the heck? Practically everyone hated Gianna.

"Anyway, you guys go and enjoy," Trisha tapped me on the shoulder. "We need to talk to you though."

I blinked at her. "Me?"

"Yes. Now we'll go somewhere else for a while Harry. We'll bring her back," Trisha grinned as she and Marie ushered me into a corner.

Marie suddenly hugged me. "You lucky girl!"

Trisha grinned. "I know! Kyleen, do NOT screw this up, okay?"

I giggled. "Of course I won't."

"Good! This is crucial! Let's go," Trisha said cheerily.

We went back to Harry. He smiled as we arrived and took me by the arm. We proceeded to the dance floor. Dougie and Tommy asked Trisha and Marie to dance as well.

We passed by Danny and Dominique. The two looked really sweet together. I winked at Danny and he winked back.

"Congratulations on being valedictorian," I told Danny as I passed by him.

He grinned. "Thanks. Congratulations to you too."

Well, Danny was the valedictorian and I was the salutatorian. It didn't matter though. We were friends anyway.

Harry and I were in the middle now. The lights were a faint blue. We began dancing. Harry was holding me gently by the waist.

At first, I couldn't look at him. I still felt shy. And I can't believe that he likes me too…

"Hey. I'm not gonna turn you to stone if you look at me," he chuckled.

I smiled and finally turned to face him. "Sorry."

"Nah. It's okay. By the way, why did you react that way a while ago?"

Oh darn. Well, he was bound to suspect.

"Um… Nothing…" I said lamely.

He pinched my cheek and teased me. "You like me, don't you?"

My cheeks were hot as Harry continued looking at me with his teasing face.

"I… I… Well… Not…. That's," I floundered.

"You like me… You wanna maaarryy me," he teased me.

Despite of the tease, I couldn't help but laugh. I rolled my eyes. "Harry."

"Just kidding. But…"

He pulled me closer now and all the taunt in his face has vanished now. I looked into his blue eyes. My heart was hammering now.

"I like you Kyleen… Love you, even. You're different, and I want to be with you. I miss you every second I'm not with you," he said gently.

I blushed. "Harry…"

We were silent for a while.

"I do like you," I finally blurted out.

Oh my gosh! I finally said it! Finally!

"You do?" he asked.

I nodded bashfully. "Yes… I can't stop thinking about you Harry. I mean, you changed me. I'm very grateful for that. I like you Harry…"

My heart was pounding now. I felt like an anvil just landed on my head.

Suddenly, Harry leaned closer. He touched my cheek. I closed my eyes.

All of a sudden, something inside me freaked out. I'm… I dunno… Nervous.

I suddenly had the urge to leave the room.

Now.

I backed away. Harry slowly opened his eyes. "I'm sorry… Harry."

And just like that, I turned on my heels and ran off.


	48. Chapter 48

CHAPTER 48 (TWIST)

I hate myself. I seriously do.

Whack!

Oooh. The ball's flying far!

I should be hanged or put into any of those medieval torture devices. I deserved it anyway.

Whack.

Darn. That was a weak throw. The ball didn't even go over a yard.

I panted. I'm kind of tired of this now. Maybe I should rest.

I placed the baseball bat down and sat on the grass. The baseball players just leave it here anyway for the caretakers to fix. I decided to hit some balls. I'd channel my frustration into the whacks.

I sighed and looked at the moonlit sky.

Huh. The moon's never screwed up. It's always here. Unlike me.

I don't know why I just ran like that. For the first few seconds, I wanted to kiss Harry. But then something inside me held me back. I'm not yet totally adjusted to all of this. And it's simply freaking me out. Why did I have to freak out at the last minute?

Gosh. Now I wish that I had done things differently. If I could turn back time…

I stood up and got another baseball. I began catching it with my hand. I don't care how many I've thrown now, I just want to vent my frustration.

I whacked the ball once more. "Ugh!! I hate myself!!"

The ball flew into the bushes. I sat down sighing. I'm still not satisfied.

All of a sudden, the ball came rolling back to me. I was surprised. What the heck was this?

I heard the bushes rustle and saw Harry approaching me, a smile on his face. Not anger, not sadness, not disappointment. "You should work on your aim you know. You nearly hit me."

Oh jeez. My cheeks are burning now. This is so awkward.

I stood up. "Oh. Sorry about that."

Oh gosh. He's not pissed, is he?

"Here. Let me show you," he pleasantly and borrowed my bat. He took a ball and began hitting it.

WHAAACKK!

I nearly flinched from the sound. Gosh that was so loud! Why's he so-?

Oh my gosh.

He is pissed off.

Well, he had a right to be. I mean, I'm being very unclear and vague now.

Another loud whack.

Oh my. Oh my. Oh my.

Kyleen! You idiot! Clarify things now!

I went near Harry and tapped him on the shoulder. "Harry?"

He turned around. "Yes?"

All of a sudden, his bat hit my nose. I yelped in pain as I began touching my nose.

Gosh that hurt!!

Harry immediately dropped his bat. "Oh bloody… Sorry Kyleen."

I held up a hand, my other hand pinching my nose. Was I bleeding?

"Ho. Hi. Heserve. Hit," I said .

"Oh. Sorry, can't understand you," Harry frowned.

Oh who cares if I'm bleeding?! I finally took my hand out so that I'd be understandable now.

I gave off a huge sigh. "I deserve it. I'm sorry for being like that. I left you. I must've been really weird. I was just… afraid. Really. This is all new. I'm getting used to it. I can't do things right, like other girls. I'm starting when for other girls it's all natural now. I'm really sorry."

He smiled at me. "I understand Kyleen. I do. You're not ready yet."

"Thanks Harry. You're not pissed?"

He gave me an incredulous look. "Pissed? No."

"Oh. I thought you were. You were whacking the balls pretty hard…"

He gave me another incredulous look and laughed. "Kyleen, I'm like that. I really do hit the balls like that."

"Really?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "Yup. I'm pretty good."

I gave out a huge sigh of relief.

Oh great. I thought he was severely pissed at me.

He smiled and pinched my cheek. "Why would I be mad?"

I smiled and shrugged. "I dunno… I just thought… I mean, most guys would."

He looked at the sky for a few seconds and shrugged. "I understand Kyleen. Besides, I'm pretty happy you know."

He kissed my cheek. I could feel my body heat up. If I were a thermometer, I would have probably exploded by now.

I looked at him, still surprised and still red in the face. "Really? Why?"

He smiled at me, and his eyes twinkled. "Because you like me. That's enough to keep me happy. You don't have to be my girlfriend so soon. I'll wait for you."

He really was sweet. I have no idea what to say.

"Harry, you might get sick of waiting," I said.

He shook his head and waved his hand. "Nah. I can wait. Look, think of this as a sort of cocoon. I'll wait until you break out of your shell. Then it'll be worth it."

He gave me another smile before looking back at the sky.

I was stunned. He would wait for me. He wouldn't abandon me. He would be here with me.

Kyleen… Don't be an idiot.

'Do NOT screw this up.'

I clenched my fists.

Yes. Why was I so afraid? If I keep on living in fear, nothing will happen to me. I should try new things.

I won't let this pass me by.

I grinned at Harry as an idea suddenly popped into my mind.

Maybe… It's time I twisted things.

"Harry, wait here," I smiled and squeezed his hand.

He smiled. "Sure Kyleen."

Yes! Cool!

I went towards the rose bush and plucked one rose. Good thing the thorns didn't prick me.

I grinned as I approached Harry, rose in hand. He gave me a curious look but smiled and gave me a signal to continue.

I finally approached Harry. He finally understood what I was doing as I handed him the flower.

Yup. I was courting him.

"I like you Harry. Have this," I smiled at him and gave him the rose.

He grabbed it gratefully. "Thanks. I don't… Ouch!"

He suddenly began hopping and shaking his right hand.

Oh crud!! He got pricked!! Kyleen you buffoon!

I immediately yanked his hand. "I'm so sorry Harry! I'm sorry!"

Suddenly, his pained expression turned into a smile. "You're really concerned about me, eh?"

I stared at him and laughed. I slapped his shoulder. "You're naughty for doing that."

"Couldn't resist."

I laughed. Silly old Harry. But I liked his sense of humor, loved it even.

Before I could stop myself, without minding the world, without fear, I planted a swift kiss on his lips. I turned scarlet. He blushed too.

This was it. a boy's final stage in getting a girl. Well, in my case it would be getting the guy.

"Harry, will you be my boyfriend?" I grinned back at him.

He broke into a wider grin. He approached me and pulled me by the waist. I was against his chest and I was gazing into his eyes.

He kissed me. It felt like endless sunsets, infinitesimal twilights and incessant days. It was too magical to describe. This was like a major breakthrough in Science, only better.

He pulled away after a few seconds and smiled. "Yes Kyleen. I'd love to."

I giggled. "Thanks Harry."

His lips pressed against mine gently for the second time. I was hugging him now and I never wanted to let him go.

Finally, he broke off our kiss. "I love you Kyleen."

I pecked him on the cheek. "I love you too Harry."

He hugged me and it was the best night of my life.

"I had fun today. Thanks," I giggled as I pecked Harry on the cheek.

We were at Disneyland right now and I just went on 'Screamin'. I never thought I'd survive, but it was better than a ferris wheel. Harry was there for me anyway.

He pulled me by the waist and kissed me. "Me too."

Things have been going great. Harry and I will be going to the same university, different courses though. I'm for law and he's for medicine. But at least we're close to each other. We've been going through a long string of dates lately. Harry never runs out of ideas.

I'm still a geek at heart. I love boy clothes and I love comics. But this time, I've balanced it with being girly. Thanks to Harry, I've been open to a lot of things. I'll be looking forward to a lot now.

Thanks to him, I've changed.

And I'll always love him for that.

"I love you," he whispered into my ear and laughed.

I grinned. "I love you too."

Aaah. Things couldn't get better than this.

---------------------THE END----------------------------------------------


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